Rowing: Silver glow for women's crews

By JULIE ASH

Silver success at the world championships has given Rowing New Zealand many options to ponder as they eye the 2004 Olympic Games.

A third women's silver medal, in the quadruple sculls yesterday, to go with the coxless four and double sculls in the regatta in Lucerne was an outstanding return.

The men's coxless four finished second in the B final.

Rowing New Zealand chief executive Mike Stanley said the team's achievements were well deserved.

"I am really pleased. For many of them it has been a long, hard slog, so to get there has been fantastic. I thought we had strong chances in all three boats. I didn't want to make any medal predictions but I knew they were really confident going into it and they really proved they are up there with the best."

He said the championship results were some of the best New Zealand had achieved internationally.

"We won three bronze medals in the 1988 Olympics and two golds in the 1983 world championships. It is hard to equate, but it is only the second time we have won three medals and silver is a very nice colour."

Jackie Abraham, Rochelle Saunders, Kate Robinson and Niki Coles were second in the coxless fours while Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell were second in the doubles sculls and combined with Paula Twining and Sonia Waddell for the quadruple sculls.

Stanley believes it is the first time that any New Zealander has won two medals at a world championship event.

He said whether the Evers-Swindell twins continued to compete in both events would be determined over the next two years, along with the future of the women's coxless four, which is not an Olympic event.

"I am sure the selectors want them to focus on an Olympic eight. Forming an eight is our initial objective but we have to be careful not to introduce them before they are ready.

"It is not necessarily difficult to switch from the sculls but it will all depend on what they want to do and how they go."

He said there was nothing stopping their establishing an eight and then having a four and a double come out of that eight.

"We know we have some talented people under this elite group as well who may be ready for the next Olympics, so there are a number of options open to us."

He said national women's coach Richard Tonks, who also coached Olympic gold medallist and world champion Rob Waddell, was instrumental in the women's success.

"Richard has done a great job."

The world championship results would hopefully aid the development of future competitors.

The team would arrive home this week and take a well-deserved break, said Stanley.

"They will then start a cross training programme before their preparation for the next year's world championships in Spain begins."