Rowing: Golds pour in for Kiwis

It's been a golden day for New Zealand at the World Rowing Champsionships.

Mahe Drysdale, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond have all stood on the victory dias overnight (NZ time).

Murray and Bond jumped in the men's pair only six months ago. Last night, they became world champions.

The two blond-haired rowers powered away from the Great Britain pair to claim New Zealand's first gold at the world championships in Poznan, Poland.

Drysdale followed it up just over an hour later with his fourth world championship, backing up off bronze at the Olympic Games.

Drysdale set a world's best time of 6.33.35 for a half length win over British rival Alan Campbell. A tailwind helped him beat the record he set in Eton at the world championships in 2006.

The news wasn't quite as good for Rebecca Scown and Emma-Jane Feathery, who took bronze in the women's pair.

They had been the gold medal favourites heading into the final, having been unbeaten throughout the season, but they couldn't get their bow in front and finished third, half a length behind the United States and Romania.

But Murray and Bond were a class above to secure one of the sport's most sought-after crowns. They draped themselves proudly in New Zealand flags on the medal dais.

They took the lead in the first 500m and refused to relinquish it to the highly-rated British pair of Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed, winning by three-quarters of a length.

They led by three seconds at the halfway mark and, although the British got back to within a

boat length, the Kiwi pair put in a late burst to claim gold.

Murray says they had rhythm initially but let it go late.

"We blasted out of start but in last 300 metres starting tiring dreadfully. The last ten strokes were the messiest of the whole season, but we got there."

Bond remained his clinical in the stroke seat.

"I always felt we had another gear. I saw them come back at us in the third 500 metres but kept pushing up. It's a massive relief and weight off our shoulders. It's a different story when you go in as favourite, unlike previous years."

It was revenge for last year's Olympics, when they failed to make the final in the men's coxless four.

Murray and Bond matched the feat of George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle at Gifu, Japan, in 2005. It's their second world championship win together, having been part of the victorious coxless four at Munich in 2007, but their first in a boat they took up this year.

Despite their bronze medal, Scown and Feathery are an exciting combination in the women's pair. They are only in their first season together and look capable of matching what Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh did in the boat four years ago.

They always trailed the United States and Romania, who led for most of the race, and couldn't exert the sort of dominance they have enjoyed all season.

The duo had won each of their four World Cup races this season - two heats and two finals at Munich and Lucerne.

But the results are sure to create an interesting selection conundrum ahead of next year's world championship at Lake Karapiro.

Murray and Bond could opt to go back into a coxless four with the likely return of Bridgewater and Twaddle but the selectors could stick with the status quo. It's a combination which is clearly flourishing and they are keen on continuing through to London.

Bridgewater, 26, has taken a year out to study at Oxford University while the 33-year-old Twaddle took time out to recover from an arm injury. Weighing in their favour are their proven credentials with an Olympic bronze medal.

Haigh has also taken an overseas sabbatical while still rowing at club level - albeit with a focus on sculling.

She has gold and silver at world championship level but the dilemma will be whether it is worth breaking a combination on the rise.

Emma Twigg finished fourth in her second final at the top level as a single sculler, pipped by a quarter of a length.

Nathan Cohen and Matthew Trott finished fourth in the men's double sculls, missing bronze by half a length but improving on their sixth together in 2007.

Robin Tinga finished fifth in the final of his adaptive event.

Late tonight the lightweight double sculls combination of Storm Uru and Peter Taylor attempt to avenge missing the Beijing final while Duncan Grant looks to win his third straight title in the non-Olympic lightweight single.