Rowing: Double scullers exit on confused note

A truck horn provided a fatal distraction for New Zealand's women's double scullers as they just failed to join single scullers Storm Uru and Emma Twigg in the world under-23 rowing championships finals in Amsterdam yesterday.

Jaime Nielsen and Fiona Paterson were fighting out third in their semifinal just behind the German crew when a truck horn sounded 100m from the finish.

They thought it signalled the end of the race and stopped rowing, but the Germans continued, to claim third and the remaining spot in the final.

New Zealand's lightweight single sculler, Uru, beat defending champion Marcello Miani of Italy in the semifinal to book his final place.

In the women's single scull, Twigg finished third in her semifinal.