Rowing: Champions to clash in men's single sculls final at Karapiro

Tomorrow's men's single sculls final at the national rowing championships at Lake Karapiro will be a high-powered affair.

Leading the charge from yesterday's semifinals were four-times world champion Mahe Drysdale and Germany's 2002 world champion Marcel Hacker.

Drysdale won his semifinal in a brisk 6m 47s, heading home lightweight Peter Taylor, who is rowing both lightweight and heavyweight events this week.

Taylor's 6m 51s was one of the fastest times recorded by a lightweight.

Jo Sullivan, a double under-23 world single scull champion, was third in a respectable 6m 53s.

Nathan Cohen, dominated the second semifinal in 6m 50s, leading home triple world lightweight champion, Duncan Grant, and Hacker.

Drysdale is going for his sixth national title and his form suggests he is going to be hard to stop. "It's almost a mini world championship final and a great race to have as we build towards the world championships here in 2010," Rowing New Zealand high performance manager Alan Cotter said.

"The field shows the class of scullers that we have in the country and there are some extremely talented young athletes who will miss the final in the face of this world-class home line-up."

Emma Twigg won her women's single sculls semifinal. Fiona Paterson, Jaime Nielsen. Odette Sceats, Emma Feathery and Leah Stanley complete the final line-up.

- NZPA