Rowing: Kiwi trio up for rowing awards

Eric Murray (left) and Hamish Bond. Photo / Christine Cornege

Three-time world champions Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and head coach Dick Tonks are among the nominees for the world rowing awards.

Coxless pair Bond and Murray enhanced their record as among the most formidable crews in the sport by winning the world title in Bled, Slovenia, early last month. That followed victories in the worlds at Poznan, Poland, in 2009 and on Lake Karapiro last year.

They have been undefeated since being put in the two-seater after doing time in the coxless four, which missed a place in the Olympic final in Beijing in 2008, having won the world title a year earlier.

The other two finalists in male crew of the year are Danish world lightweight single sculling champion Henrik Stephansen, and the German eight who won the world title this year.

Tonks, the longstanding boss of New Zealand's coaching team, won the coach of the year title last year.

This time he is up against Italian Gianni Postiglione, the head coach of Greece, and Tomas Kacovsky of the Czech Republic, who coaches women's world single sculling champion Mirka Knapkova (Italy). Veteran New Zealand coach and administrator Fred Strachan is among the nominees for the distinguished service to international rowing award.

Knapkova heads the female award nominees, alongside Brazilian Fabiana Beltrame, the world lightweight single sculling champion, and Greeks Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou, who won the world lightweight double scull title in Bled.

The winners will be named on November 11 at a gala dinner in Varese, Italy.