Rowing: Dam good day at junior world champs

The New Zealand Eight with their medals after winning Gold at the World Junior Rowing Championships

The New Zealand men's eight have the rowing world talking after their powerful gold medal-winning performance at the world junior championships in Amsterdam.

The eight were one of two Kiwi crews to make it on to the podium, with the women's quadruple sculls crew claiming silver.

Although the eight were expected to win a medal at the regatta, their commanding victory was more convincing than they had expected.

"The eight didn't just win," said team manager Bruce Lodder.

"They impressed everyone including the Germans. The talk here is that no one has seen an eight like that for five, six or seven years.

"They look so powerful, so controlled, everything about them is good."

The New Zealanders, coached by Brett Crowe, slid past the Germans at the 1000m mark and then accelerated to win by half a boat length.

It is the first time since 1983 that a New Zealand eight have won a race at a world championship.

The team were: David Eade (Auckland), Jared Pehi and Josiah Lester (Hamilton Boys High School), Sam O'Connor (Canaviron), Tyler Sherman (Wanganui High School), Michael Arms (Auckland Grammar), Ben Lynton, James O'Connor and coxswain Robert Salveson (Christ's College).

The New Zealand women's quadruple sculls crew held their nerve to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind the powerful Germans.

The crew of Anna Stantial (Cullinane), Laura Fischer (Rotorua Lakes), Genevieve Armstrong (Mt Maunganui College) and Kate Reymer (Sacred Heart College) stuck to their task.

Positioning themselves on to the stern of the German quad through the first 1000m, the New Zealanders adhered to coach Dave Hill's instructions.

Pushing at the 1500m mark they managed to hold off the fast-finishing Austrians to win the silver.

"Over the last three years the Germans have won both the men's and women's quadruple sculls ... they just own that event as a nation," Lodder said.

"To be honest we knew that we were never going to win. We knew there was some glimpses of class in the New Zealand quad but we didn't know it was that good."

New Zealand also made the final of the women's four but a slow start proved to be the undoing of Rachel Arbuckle, Georgie Baker, Jessica Loe (daughter of former All Black Richard Loe) and Harriet Austin who finished behind Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Belarus in fifth position.

Kiwi success at the junior world championships follows that of the under-23 team who took away four medals, three of them gold, at their world championships in Hazewinkel, Belgium last month.

Rowing New Zealand chief executive Craig Ross said the successes were a great boost for the sport.

"The makings of a New Zealand men's eight for London 2012 was born today in Amsterdam.

"It demonstrates that our development programme is starting to work, this is the first rung on the ladder for our athletes into international competition.

"All 19 [juniors] performed with credit but to win the eight and a silver medal in the women's quad was just a stunning achievement."

Ross also praised the New Zealand coaches.

"Brett Crowe's achievement with this eight is outstanding. He brought them from nowhere and not only did they win they comprehensively won it. Dave Hill, who picked up the silver medal with quad, demonstrated his worth as a coach."

WHAT'S NEXT

Eight NZ crews will race at the world championships in Eton this month.

* Double sculls: Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell

* Women's pair: Nicky Coles, Juliette Haigh

* Women's eight: Erin Tolhurst, Clementine Marshall, Paula Twining, Emma Twigg, Rebecca Scown, Nicki-Lee Crawford, Bess Halley, Darnelle Timbs, Candice Bardsley (cox)

* Men's pair: George Bridgewater, Nathan Twaddle

* Men's single sculls: Mahe Drysdale, Duncan Grant (lightweight)

* Men's coxless four: Carl Meyer, Hamish Bond, Eric Murray, Selwyn Cleland

* Men's coxed four: Dane Boswell, Paul Gerritsen, James Dallinger, Steve Cottle, Daniel Quigley (cox)