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KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's top single scullers all sailed through their opening heats at the national rowing championships at Lake Ruataniwha, near Twizel, yesterday.
Olympic bronze medallist Mahe Drysdale, Joseph Sullivan and title holder Rob Waddell - making his first appearance at a regatta this summer - all qualified comfortably for the semifinals tomorrow.
The repechage for the remaining places in the semifinals will be hotly contested today, with Nathan Cohen, world champions Peter Taylor, Storm Uru, Graham Oberlin-Brown and Duncan Grant all in contention.
Waddell raced all the way to the line in his heat, striking 33 strokes per minute and clocking 7m 05s. Drysdale looked the more relaxed, cruising home in his heat at a lower stroke rate and stopping the clocks at 7m 07s, while Sullivan, the third heat winner, completed the course in 7m 15s.
Earlier in the day, double scullers Matthew Trott and Cohen cruised through to their final as they look to again take the national title they have won for the past two years.
The Olympic lightweight combination of Peter Taylor and Storm Uru, competing as a heavyweight crew, made the final via the second heat, easily beating Auckland's Henry Poor and Drysdale in the process.
In the women's double, the Central combination Anna Reymer and Simone Hudson went through comfortably, as did Auckland's Emma Twigg and Tamsin Gilbert.
In other premier events, Hamish Bond and Jade Uru won their men's pair heat, beating Eric Murray and Simon Watson, of Waikato RPC. Bond and Murray are expected to fill the New Zealand's pair seats on the international circuit this year.
- NZPA
