KEY POINTS:
World champion Mahe Drysdale says any head-to-head clash with 2000 Olympic gold medallist Rob Waddell for Olympic selection could jeopardise New Zealand's chances for single sculls gold at Beijing.
Drysdale said it would not be helpful for the scullers to have to peak for Olympic selection in March, then again for the Olympic Games in August.
He cited triathlete Hamish Carter's Olympic performance in 2000 as an example, when Carter was forced to peak for a pre-Games trial.
Carter finished well down the field in the Olympics, then used that performance as motivation to win gold in Athens four years later.
Carter said one of the reasons for his demise was having to peak during a buildup period, which affected his performance when it counted most.
Waddell made his comeback to competition with a two length win over Drysdale at Lake Karapiro yesterday, sparking immense interest on who would take the only single sculls place available in Beijing.
Drysdale said he was treating Waddell's comeback as positive, as such a rival would bring the best out of him.
He would only shift his interest to another boat if the selectors indicated so, but his preference and focus were on an event he has dominated over the last three years
"I think where it does have the possibility of going pear-shaped is if we end up basically going for it (in the trial) in March and both of us have to come up and try to peak," he said.
That would mean some intensive training for both rowers over the next couple of months, easing off and then trying to peak again about four months later.
"That could play against us later on down the track and that's something that we've got to be really wary about. That's where the selectors have to be careful," he said.
Drysdale said he was happy with his own race and wanted to continue with his buildup work.
"Obviously (Waddell) he's in fine form.
"You never go out there to lose, you learn from these losses. While I'm going very well, there's a guy sitting outside of me - I've got to do something about that in the next few months," he told Radio Sport today
" There's no indication yet from the selectors or from Rob that he's interested in the single, but he's now in a bit of a better position to know where he's going."
The national trials are scheduled in March, a week after the national championships.
New Zealand has qualified seven boats for the Olympics but the individual rowers have to earn selection.
Waddell, still contracted to yachting's Team New Zealand, reportedly shed 20kg since the America's Cup this year.
He played down his victory after clocking six minutes 39.8sec - just 3sec off Drysdale's best time in the world championships - yesterday.
"I'm not going to get in to the me versus Mahe thing. I came back because I want to be part of something positive in Beijing next year - that's my ultimate long-term goal," Waddell told the New Zealand Herald.
"The urge to go to another Olympics has always been there, it's just that the timing seems right now.
"I thought, you're only young once and time whizzes by, and I've got another one, possibly two Games left in me."
Drysdale said he would be doing everything possible to remain the New Zealand representative in the single sculls.
"At the end of the day if I'm not the best man for the singles then alternatively I'll have to go somewhere else ," he said.
Rowing New Zealand high performance manager Andrew Matheson said there were other boats than the singles that either Waddell or Drysdale could switch to.
- NZPA
