Rowing: Meet NZ's two new world champions

Zoe McBride is the new lightweight women's single sculling world champion.

New Zealand has had two new world champions crowned on a triumphant opening day of finals at the rowing world championships in Aiguebelette, France.

Adam Ling produced a perfectly paced race from lane one in the non-Olympic lightweight single sculls to overcome challengers from Serbia and Slovenia. The 23-year-old worked his way through the field from fourth in the first 500m. A flurry of oars in the final 200m saw him cross 0.79s in front. The 23-year-old's rise is extraordinary, considering he finished 13th to win the 'C' final at the Varese World Cup in June.

Zoe McBride replicated Ling's success with a dominant showing in the women's equivalent event. The 19-year-old, who set a world best time in June, coasted away from her closest British and American opponents to win by 1.54s. Someone producing that sort of form would normally ease into an Olympic-class crew but she faces the challenge of ousting either Julia Edward or Sophie MacKenzie, the incumbent world champions, who are favourites to replicate their 2014 achievement tonight.

Both single scullers are coached by Gary Hay.

Elsewhere, New Zealand will contest 10 out of 14 Olympic-class finals over the next two days and could equal their London effort by qualifying 11 boats for the Rio Games, if the men's quadruple sculls get second or better in their 'B' final and the eights finish in the top five.

They will have the option of qualifying three more - the women's single sculls, men's lightweight double sculls and men's coxless four - at regattas of death in Brandenburg and Lucerne next May.

Thrilling racing pervaded the semi-finals with each of four New Zealand crews finishing third or better to make their respective finals.

Mahe Drysdale won and remains on course to complete a record sixth world single sculls title. He is level with German Peter-Michael Kolbe who won five between 1975 and 1986.

Zoe Stevenson and Eve Macfarlane took out the women's double, beating Lithuania by 1.13s with a further 0.63s back to Britain.

Their semi-final was followed by a mesmerising finish from Robbie Manson and Chris Harris in the men's double, who came third behind Croatia and Australia. They pipped Italy by 0.3s.

The men's lightweight four of Curtis Rapley, James Lassche, Alistair Bond and James Hunter also finished third behind Denmark and the Netherlands.

Conversely, Emma Twigg's Olympic journey got more complicated this week.

The defending world single sculls title-holder is a spectator at the regatta after opting out of Rowing New Zealand's programme to complete a post-graduate Fifa masters course in Europe.

Fiona Bourke took up the oars in her absence, but failed to qualify the single sculls spot for Rio when she missed the semi-finals by 0.39s. The top nine at the world championships qualify an Olympic spot for their country.

Presuming Twigg is selected as New Zealand's female single sculler at the national trials in March, she must now finish in the top three at May's European championships to earn Olympic selection.

"I was hoping I wouldn't be [in this position] but it was always factored into my decision to head away last year.

"I hoped the mind of Rowing New Zealand might have changed halfway through year but Fi [Bourke] was given a hard job and, to be honest, she shouldn't have been placed in that position. But it hasn't changed my plans for next year."

Twigg can afford a positive mindset. At the London Games, bronze medallist Kim Crow of Australia and silver medallist Fie Udby Erichsen of Denmark finished first and second respectively in Lucerne at what is colloquially known as the 'Regatta of Death'.

Twigg is scheduled home on September 28 to join the summer squad at Lake Karapiro.