Rowing: Pulling closer to glory

By PETER JESSUP

The Waddells and the Kiwi coxless four have set up New Zealand's chance at Olympic glory by sliding easily into Saturday's finals at the Penrith regatta course.

Rob Waddell was sublime in winning his heat in Thursday's fastest time and said later he had plenty in reserve. His wife Sonia was third in her heat but in a time that would have beaten the winner of the other semifinal.

The coxless four were also third after rowing a controlled race mostly in fourth then lifting themselves over the last 500m to take the last qualifying position ahead of Norway.

Rob Waddell said the days before a final were always nervous, but he and Sonia were focusing on their personal goals and were not concerned about medal expectations in New Zealand.

"It's there, I'd like nothing more than to do well for New Zealand, I really would," he said.

"I feel pretty confident, the speed was okay. I wanted to win it and to feel good and I do. I feel I'm on the pace, in reasonably good form and I'd like to think I'm up there."

Sonia Waddell said she was used to the nerves.

"As much as it makes you feel physically sick, that's what you look forward to, the adrenaline rush."

Rob Waddell's time was 6:58.01, compared to his world best 6.36.68.

Main rival Xeno Mueller of Switzerland went 7:01.86, and 1999 world championship silver medallist Derek Porter of Canada 7:0.02s.

German Marcel Hacker, Estonian Juri Jaanson and Bulgarian Ivo Yanakiev make up the rest of the field.

Sonia Waddell covered the 2000m in 7.35.24. The first in her heat, Rumyana Neykova of Bulgaria, won in 7:28.34. Australian Georgina Douglas finished between them.

In the other heat the two favourites for the event, Germany's Katrina Rutschow-Stomporowski and Belarussian Ekatarina Karsten went 7:37.77 and 7:40.36, Russian Iouila Alexandrova filling out the field with 7:42.23.

"I knew from fairly early on that I was going to make it, and that does change your race. When you know it's first three through, subconsciously you're a little bit affected by that."

But she was happy with the effort and said she was in the best shape of her career.

Sonia Waddell said she was not aware of any medal expectations from home and "wasn't aware we weren't having a great Olympics", asking the public to recognise that athletes like the swimmers and cyclists had mostly achieved personal bests. "As far as expectation goes, my expectations are greater than anyone else's."

The Waddells have been receiving around 40 faxes and messages of support a day.

Team member Toni Dunlop said the four would spend the next day studying the splits and working on their race strategy "We can put on a better race than that."

Dunlop said he had been suffering the effects of a mystery virus during their heat. The day before he had been bedridden, making frequent trips to the toilet, and was 3kg lighter on Monday when the four finished third in their heat. He has now recovered.

All three crews will train twice at the race course on Friday, a light workout to keep them at their peak and familiar with course conditions.

The course was mirror-smooth on Thursday, with no sign of the wind disruption that looked likely, and Dunlop predicted those conditions would last until the medals were decided.