KEY POINTS:
If Nathan Cohen is twitchy on the eve of the race which could thrust him into his first Olympic final, he need only look behind him.
The combination between the former world under-23 silver medallist and Rob Waddell has worked a treat since they were put together in the double scull this year.
They won their two World Cup finals in Europe in June and again demonstrated their ability to pull out a sizzling final quarter in winning their heat on the Shunyi course in broiling heat last Saturday.
"I was a bit nervous obviously coming in with my first Games experience, but I felt reasonably confident," the Southland 22-year-old said. "We've had a good training buildup and everything's going according to plan. We knew exactly what we wanted to do."
The extent of 33-year-old Waddell's advice seems to have been "just treat it like another regatta", Cohen added. "We've had 20 or 30 races together now so it's no different."
Theirs has been a remarkable union, the tall, muscular Waddell in the bow, the shorter, solid Cohen in the stroke seat. But Cohen insists that while Waddell is "still the boss" it is a 50-50 relationship on the water.
"He listens to me as much as I listen to him," he said. "I had the experience of doing the double last year while it's new to him. He's tried to learn off me and he's always open to listening. It's a great environment and pretty easy to adapt to."
If Waddell and Cohen go on to win the gold, it will be a remarkable achievement, in part given their short preparation time, but also for Waddell, coming after seven years out of a boat. But that is for pondering on Saturday.
First they have to get to sit in a boat on the final startline and today they are one of five New Zealand crews involved in semifinals. The odds are short that at least four will join Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell and Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh in Saturday's finals.
Coles and Haigh progressed by winning their coxless pair repechage last night. The Evers-Swindell twins advanced directly by winning their heat last Saturday.
Of those on the water today, single sculler Emma Twigg has the toughest job. She has drawn Olympic champion Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, whom she trailed home in third in their quarter-final on Monday, and the world record holder, Rumyana Neykova of Bulgaria. She won't have much room for error.
Three-time world champion Mahe Drysdale has drawn the marginally easier semifinal, at least on paper, with his toughest opposition coming from Czech Republic oarsman Ondrej Synek.
Coxless pair George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle are in imposing form and should win their semifinal, while the coxless four, who gave themselves a confidence-booster finishing an impressive second in their heat after an ordinary European campaign, are a good chance to get through.
