KEY POINTS:
A good first day saw virtually all Kiwi crews progress at the World Cup rowing final in Lucerne -- though there was more disappointment in the big boats.
Lightweight scullers Duncan Grant and Storm Uru look to be at the class end of the field again, both going through directly to the semi finals with comfortable wins in their heats. Grant was slightly quicker than Uru, but neither was pushed and each led from the start.
With Marcel Hacker withdrawing from the event to focus on "intensive training", the remaining leading single scullers in the heavyweight event all made it through -- including New Zealand's Mahe Drysdale.
Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh were fastest in the heats of the Women's Coxless Pair and progress to the final.
Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater -- racing an Empacher boat/Concept 2 blades combination for the first time -- got into another scrap with the French in their heat and came in second, though will have eased off to save gas for the semis -- to where both first and second placed crews progress.
The fancied British crew of Smith and Langridge could only manage third and must find their way through the repechage. Australia's Drew Ginn and Duncan Free won their heat.
Georgina and Caroline Evers Swindell cruised into the semi with a comfortable win in Women's Double Sculls, defeating the Italians and the USA in a fast time.
In the Men's Double Scull, Nathan Cohen and a fit Matthew Trott took the lead at half way in their heat -- which included the fast British double -- before throttling back to finish just behind them and move on to the semi final.
The Men's Coxless Four of Carl Meyer, James Dallinger, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond continued to show their genuine contender's speed with a good win over the Italians.
The Lightweight Men's Double Scull made it to the semi final with a good win in their repechage. In a tough first heat that included the French, the Austrians and the Czechs, they finished fourth, but turned over the Canadians, the Belgians and the Swiss amongst others to make it to the semis.
There was more disappointment for the Men's and Women's Eights however. The women came in at the tail of the field in the Women's Eights exhibition race -- though it was within three seconds of the field.
The Men's Eight were never as close and finished a distance behind in their heat. Doubtless they will put in a massive effort to make up the gap, but in eights a second is a good margin.
- NZPA
