KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's Mahe Drysdale began his pursuit of a third world rowing championships title in dominant fashion in Munich last night (NZT).
Drysdale was the fastest of the 30 men's single scullers in action on the Oberschleisheim course, clocking a slick 6m 54.20s in warm, still conditions.
If
two-time champion Drysdale was intent on firing a warning shot across the bows of his rivals, he was successful, storming home in the sixth and final heat to be top qualifier for tomorrow's quarter-finals.
He eased nearly 10s clear of his heat rivals and was almost 2s quicker than the next best qualifier, Lassi Karonen of Sweden.
Chief rival and home-town hero Marcel Hacker won the fifth heat in a time 5s slower than Drysdale.
The women's pair of Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles were also the fastest qualifiers, heading off Olympic champions Georgeta Damian-Andrunache and Viorica Susanu of Romania in an exciting heat.
The 2005 world champion New Zealand pair, who settled for silver last year, held off their hard-charging rivals to win in 7m 11.21s and qualify fastest for the semifinals on Thursday.
The men's pair of Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater overcame a blistering start from Poland to win their heat and qualify for the semifinals.
Bridgewater appeared to "catch a crab" early in the race, his oar becoming briefly stuck, before the New Zealanders regained their composure and hit the front by the halfway stage.
The 2005 world champions clocked 6m 37.44s, more than 3s clear of the Denmark pair.
Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell made hard work of their women's double sculls heat, finishing second to qualify for the semifinals.
Only the top two boats qualified in each heat and the Olympic champions were nearly caught out by the fast-finishing Czechs, who closed to within half a second at the finish. Great Britain's Elise Laverick and Anna Bebington won the heat by nearly 2s.
Emma Twigg made an impressive debut at senior international level, finishing a narrow second in her women's single sculls heat to advance to the quarter-finals.
Twigg led Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic through the first 1000m but the two-time world championships silver medallist eased ahead in the second half to win by a boat length in 7mi35.39s, just over 1s clear of the New Zealand 20-year-old.
Twigg was a late addition to the New Zealand team for these championships, having won the world under-23 championships at Scotland three weeks ago to secure the berth.
Lightweight sculler Duncan Grant's golden European summer continued when he won his heat in comfortable fashion to advance to the semifinals. Grant raced to the front and eased off notably in the second half to win in 7m 5.63s, more than 5s clear of Briton Alasdair Leighton-Crawford.
Only American Ivan Baldychev was quicker, qualifying in 7m 4.84s.
Grant is the only New Zealander this week not chasing a berth at next year's Beijing Games as his class isn't an Olympic one.
- NZPA
