Rowing: Olympic eights dream reborn

Efforts of the Evers-Swindells and other top performers at the national champs point to a bright future for New Zealand rowing. ANDY HAY reports.

New Zealand are destined for another tilt at Olympic eights glory.

The national selectors said after the week-long New Zealand championships finished at Lake Karapiro on Saturday that a women's eight could race as early as May at an international regatta in a bid to reach Athens in 2004.

National head coach Dick Tonks, who has masterminded the success of Rob Waddell and the Evers-Swindell twins, said the selectors would have a tough job at trials in a fortnight after "the best nationals I've seen in years."

The panel's first mission will be to fill the gap in the women's quad left by Sonia Waddell, who is pregnant. Halberg Award winners Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, along with Paula Twining, look almost certain to retain their seats in the boat that won silver at last year's world championships.

Angela Fife, of Cambridge, back in rowing after a long layoff, did her chances no harm with a storming second in the single sculls behind Caroline Evers-Swindell.

The twins' Hamilton clubmates, Jackie Abraham and Kate Robinson, also impressed with a win in the coxless pair. Their performances over the past 12 months won them the women rowers of the year title at the regatta.

But there was no disputing the dominance of the Evers-Swindells.

It has been a remarkable week for the 23-year-old twins in which they won the Halberg Award, Georgina the world indoor title in Boston and, back home on Karapiro, every event they entered by a good margin.

Barrie Mabbott, the national high-performance commissioner, said the Evers-Swindells would be itching to have another crack at the double sculls at this year's world championships in August.

"We're hoping the twins can go up another notch. The opportunity's there for the quad and double to challenge the Germans, who are also in a bit of a rebuilding stage."

The eight are likely to be made up from last year's coxless four and a clutch of rising stars. A pair-oar is also being considered.

The thrills and close finishes at Lake Karapiro came mostly in the men's events, where Wairau established themselves as the club to watch.

Rob Hellstrom and Sean O'Neill ambushed the fancied Avon combination of Sam Earl and Ian Smallman in the premier coxless pair.

It was a special moment for coach Mark Stallard - the last Wairau man to win the title, in 1983. Stallard also coached his son Tom to a win in the under-21 coxless pair and won the club coach of the year award.

Only work commitments keep him from a shot at coaching the men's coxless four for the world championships.

Despite Wairau's advances, Avon remain the club of the moment. They easily won the men's eight and showed character to come from behind to retain the coxed four title.

The club performed well enough in all classes to win the Centennial Oar for most points overall.

Auckland's Nathan Twaddle scored an upset win in the men's single scull. He eclipsed clubmate and defending champion Steve Westlake during the week, but saved his best for the final, pipping Avon's Christian Nielsen by 10cm after a desperate dash from 400m out.

After the withering duel, both men could hardly stand on the dais. It left spectators buzzing and earned the respect of the selectors, who have named them among the trialists for the world championships.

Wellington also showed they are a club on the move by winning the men's and women's novice eight. Numbers are getting so big and resources so stretched at their clubhouse on Jervois Quay that crews are allotted strictly enforced training times of two hours each.

In a pre-Maadi Cup shakedown, St Paul's Collegiate won the men's under-21 eight, trouncing nearest school rivals Wanganui Collegiate.

Trialists for World Cup and world championships:

Men: George Bridgewater, David Earl, Sam Earl, Chris Flanagan, Ben Forrest, Eric Murray, Christian Nielsen, Ian Smallman (Avon), Nathan Twaddle (Auckland), Donald Leach, Carl Meyer (Canterbury), Duncan Grant (Union Chch), Calvin Ferguson, Nathan Terry (Union Wang), Grant Carroll (Waihopai), Craig Harper, Bryce Mael, Gary Roberts, Glen Twining, Dave Waddell, Jason Williams (Waikato), Rob Hellstrom, Sean O'Neill (Wairau); Mahe Drysdale (West End).

Women: Alicia Forbes (Avon), Melanie Burke (Auck), Katie Ritchie (Cant), Nicky Coles, Angela Fife, Maree Kaati, Andrea Rix-Trott, Rochelle Saunders, Paula Twining (Camb), Jackie Abraham, Caroline Evers-Swindell, Georgina Evers-Swindell, Kate Robinson (Hamilton); Jo Byrne, Emily Liddell (Hawkes Bay), Juliette Haigh, Amber McKnight, Alison Storey (West End).