Rowing: Silver twins set their targets

New Zealand's silver girls of rowing have returned home with their minds set on impressing selectors for the next world championships.

They were tired but happy to show off the medals which prove they are now within a stroke of the world's best.

Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, aged 22, helped New Zealand to secure their highest number of medals at a world rowing championship.

They won a silver medal in the doubles sculls then teamed up with Sonia Waddell and Paula Twining to finish second in the quadruple sculls.

The NZ women's coxless four of Rochelle Saunders, Kate Robinson, Jackie Abraham and Nicki Coles also won silver.

The twins were the first New Zealanders to win two medals at a world championship event.

Going into the event, the Evers-Swindell twins said they were quietly confident after finishing second in both the double and quadruple sculls in the final world cup event in Munich before the world championships.

"After the world cup event in Munich, we knew we had a chance of a medal but we didn't quite know what colour," said Caroline.

While many are keen to know what the future holds for them, the sisters are not giving too much away.

"The Olympics are a long way away and we are just focusing on the next world championships now and I have no idea what the story is, it's really up to the selectors," said Caroline.

Among those at airport to welcome the girls home was former New Zealand rower Lesley Milne, who was a member of the first New Zealand women's team to attend a world rowing championship was in Lucerne 27 years ago.

She competed in the the women's coxed four.

"We didn't win any medals, we were very much trailblazers in those days so is very satisfying to see these girls do so well," she said.

The Evers-Swindell twins are not the only New Zealand rowers to have fond memories of world championships at Lucerne.

The New Zealand men's eight won bronze there in 1974 and gold in 1982.

Single sculler Stephanie Foster also claimed bronze in there in 1982.