Rowing: Kiwis bracing for typhoons in Japan

The New Zealand rowing team are battening down the hatches in Gifu, Japan, as the venue for the world championships braces for the arrival of two typhoons.

The championships are scheduled to start on Sunday but two typhoons are forecast to hit Gifu later this week.

"The weather situation has been unpredictable since we arrived last week, making training difficult," New Zealand single sculler Mahe Drysdale said.

"The wind is strong and the course is rough. We are promised that the next two days will be calm but after that anything could happen.

"There are now two typhoons both heading toward Japan and at the current rate expected to hit on Thursday and Friday."

Drysdale said the race venue, buffeted by strong winds already, was expected to rise as much as 6m if the typhoon struck.

Another team member, Nathan Twaddle, described the team's first week in Gifu as a "debacle".

"The weather has been atrocious and the course has been nearly unrowable for most of the week.

- NZPA