Rowing: NZ set for assault on world champs

Rowing New Zealand team officials are quietly hoping for a better haul of gold at this year's world championships than last year but won't mind if they reel in a little less.

"We're well prepared and the obvious goal is to get every crew into an A final," team manager John Howard said.

In a stunning 45 minutes, perhaps one of the greatest efforts by a New Zealand team, the Kiwi rowers collected four gold medals at last year's championships in Gifu, Japan.

Howard says five golds at Eton, England in the championships that get underway on Sunday night (NZ time) are a distinct possibility for 2006 but they can settle for three without fuss.

"If we could get three, four or five gold medals it would be great," he said.

Competition will be stiffer than ever as over 1100 rowers from 64 nations have entered the weeklong championships.

"I'm relying on everyone in the team to give it a nudge.

Single sculler Mahe Drysdale, double scullers Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, men's pair Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater and women's pair Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh flashed home for gold medals in quick succession last year.

That effort exposed New Zealand's strength in the sport to the world and with it went the x-factor. Only the Olympic champion Evers-Swindell twins, multiple world championship winners, were expected to win gold.

Now the pressure is on all four crews to retain their crowns and Howard said he couldn't fault their preparation.

Bridgewater, 23, and Twaddle, 30, returned to form after a fifth place in Poznan, Poland, to win gold medal at Lucerne, Switzerland, in the recent World Cup regattas.

They came from behind to beat Great Britain pair Colin Smith and Tom James. The Evers-Swindells also showed consistent top form at the regattas.

Since, six weeks of hard training and fine-tuning has given Howard optimism that both the New Zealand crews and Drysdale would repeat their efforts from Gifu.

Howard said the Germans, Australians and British would provide the hardest competition.

"There are no-easy beats out there."

The world-class venue at Eton Dorney was the first project to be completed by the London Olympic organisers for the 2012 Games.

Howard described Dorney Lake, part of the famous Eton College, which Prince William and Prince Harry attended, as "brilliant".

- NZPA