KEY POINTS:
BEIJING - New Zealand deny their paddlers have turned rastafarian but they will certainly have the stand-out boat when the Olympic flatwater kayaking begins today.
The K2 1000m crew of Steven Ferguson and Mike Walker will power down the course in a newly acquired craft decked out in resplendent bright shades of red, yellow and green - the colours of the rastafari movement.
They are also the colours of the Lithuania national team, the intended recipients of the Polish-made boat.
However, the Lithuanians wavered and it was snapped up by New Zealand for their recent World Cup campaign in Europe.
The boat design catered perfectly for the new K2 formation, which sees Ferguson in the back of the craft and Walker shifted to the front which best suits Ferguson's greater wing span.
New Zealand manager Grant Restall agreed the boat would catch the eye of a New Zealand audience used to seeing black boats on the international stage.
"We're talking about how much it will make everyone throw up, with all due respect to Lithuania's national colours," Restall told NZPA.
He said the buildup to the regatta had gone well, with all manner of testing undergone at the Shunyi course, where rowing finished its programme yesterday.
New Zealand's kayaking campaign begins today with 2004 silver medallist Ben Fouhy in the K1 1000m heats, followed by the K2 1000m.
Fouhy must win his nine-boat race today to advance directly to Friday's finals while finishing anywhere from second to seventh will take him into the semifinals on Wednesday. His main challenge will come from Canadian Adam van Koeverden.
There are just 14 K2 boats entered, meaning Ferguson and Walker need a top-three finish to go straight to the finals. Any other result in a field featuring powerful rivals from Poland, Hungary and Finland will see them in the semifinals.
Tomorrow's action sees Ferguson in K1 500m heats and Erin Taylor in the equivalent women's event.
- NZPA
