Rowing: Strong NZ representation in Lucerne finals

Mahe Drysdale has made it through to the main event at the World Cup rowing regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland with a solid second placing behind world champion Ondrej Synek in the semifinals. File photo / Christine Cornege

Twelve New Zealand crews have advanced to A finals at the World Cup rowing regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Their small boats again excelled in semifinals and repechages to qualify for the medal races tonight (NZT).

Single sculler Emma Twigg, the world champion men's pair of Eric Murray and Hamish Bond, women's world pairs champions Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh, the women's double scull of Fi Paterson and Anna Reymer and the men's heavyweight and lightweight double sculls of Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan and Storm Uru and Peter Taylor all had impressive wins in the semifinals while the new women's quad won the repechage to book their place in the A final.

There was good news, too, for the men's quad and the men's four, both of whom sealed places in what will be world class A finals.

For both the men's quad scull and the women's quad scull A final appearances reflect huge improvement ahead of 2012 Olympic qualifying at the world championships in Slovenia starting on August 28.

Champion single sculler Mahe Drysdale also made it through to the main event with a solid second placing behind world champion Ondrej Synek in the semifinals.

In A finals already contested, Duncan Grant claimed bronze in the non-Olympic lightweight single scull event behind Denmark's Henrik Stephanson and Pietro Ruta, of Italy.

Last year's world championship silver medal-winning lightweight pair of James Lassche and Graham Oberlin Brown finished fifth in their final.

- NZPA