KEY POINTS:
For the first time in almost a decade, a New Zealand men's eight will contest the world rowing championships.
Rowing New Zealand today announced a squad of 10 boats for the world championships in Munich in late August. The last time a New Zealand men's eight competed in Munich was the gold medal-winning crew at the 1972 Olympics.
High performance manager Andrew Matheson said although the announcement of a men's eight was significant, it was a long-term project for Rowing New Zealand.
"It's great that we have the strength in depth to announce an eight for the international season. What is significant is that it contains many younger athletes, who have entered the elite programme from our successful under-23 structure," Matheson said today.
"Of course we want them to do well, but our view is that the eight is a long-term goal."
Matheson said ergometer testing had shown New Zealand had the rowers with the "engines" inside them to go fast: "But obviously there remains a lot of work to be done."
The men's elite boats which will be run with a view to taking part in Munich in this pre-Olympic year are: single scull, double scull, coxless four, coxless pair, lightweight double scull, lightweight single scull and eight.
The women's elite boats comprise the double scull, coxless pair and women's eight.
Young charger Nathan Cohen is named in the men's elite double scull, another athlete to make the step up from under-23s. He will be partnered by Matt Trott.
The Evers Swindell twins are once again selected for the women's double scull, while world champion Mahe Drysdale will be in the single scull.
Former champions Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater and Juliette Haigh and Nick Coles once again take the seats of the men's and women's coxless pairs.
Rowing New Zealand also announced the team for the under-23 world championships at Strathclyde in Scotland from July 26.
Elites
Women:
Double scull: Caroline Evers-Swindell, Georgina Evers-Swindell.
Coxless pair: Nicola Coles, Juliette Haigh.
Eight: Erin Tolhurst, Fiona Paterson, Paula Twining, Nicki-Lee Crawford, Rebecca Scown, Emma Feathery, Simone Hudson, Tamsin Gilbert, Candice Bardsley (coxswain).
Reserve: Jaime Nielsen.
Men:
Single scull: Mahe Drysdale.
Coxless pair: George Bridgewater, Nathan Twaddle.
Double scull: Nathan Cohen, Matthew Trott.
Coxless four: Hamish Bond, Eric Murray, James Dallinger, Carl Meyer.
Eight: Carl Finlay, Ben Scott, Dane Boswell, Robert Hellstrom, Selwyn Cleland, Paul Gerritsen, Steven Cottle, Graeme Hill, Daniel Quigley (coxswain).
Lightweight double scull: Peter Taylor, Graham Oberlin-Brown.
Lightweight single scull: Duncan Grant.
Lightweight single scull: Storm Uru.
Reserve: Peter Benny (to be confirmed).
Team managers: John Howard, Jan Taylor.
Under-23s
Women:
Single scull: Emma Twigg.
Quad scull: Anna Stantiall, Genevieve Armstrong, Harriet Austin, Rosslyn Knox.
Double scull: Anna Reymer, Emma McGeorge.
Lightweight double scull: Sarah Alexander, Gabrielle Rogers.
Men:
Single scull: Joseph Sullivan.
Coxless Four: David Eade, Jared Pehi, Ben Hammond, Chris Harris.
Team manager: Roger White-Parsons (to be confirmed).
- NZPA
