Rowing: Sullivan unavailable for World Champs

Joseph Sullivan is the only notable omission from the New Zealand squad competing at the Rowing World Championships. Photo/Mark Mitchell.

Olympic gold medallist Joseph Sullivan is the only notable omission from the New Zealand squad competing at the Rowing World Championships in South Korea next month.

Sullivan has made himself unavailable for selection after an indifferent year in the world cup series, but he is looking forward to returning to the national set-up in October in preparation for the 2014 season.

"Taking two months gives me a fresh start for the 2014 season,'' Sullivan said. "My ultimate goal is being at the Olympic Games in Rio in just over three years' time.''

After teaming with Nathan Cohen to win gold in the double sculls in London, Sullivan was surprisingly left out of the New Zealand team for the first world cup regatta in Sydney.

Cohen was granted his request to switch to the quadruple sculls while Michael Arms and Robbie Manson made the opposite move, leaving Sullivan out altogether.

He was added to the New Zealand squad for the final two world cups, at Eton Dorney and Lucerne, but performed poorly in the single scull, making the B final in England and the C final in Switzerland.

Five-time single scull world champion Mahe Drysdale is set to return to the boat in Korea, pending a time-trial on Friday. The Olympic gold medallist is returning to the sport after a six-month sabbatical and will be aiming to prove his fitness in front of national selectors Richard Tonks, Barrie Mabbott and Conrad Robertson.

Elsewhere, the New Zealand squad is unchanged from the crews which competed in the 2013 world cup series. The Rowing NZ selectors felt the crews which competed across the three regattas performed well enough that a trial was unnecessary.

Rowing New Zealand high performance manager Alan Cotter endorsed the selector's decision, given the success the team have enjoyed this season.

"The team has performed well in 2013,'' he said. "Some crews have had more success than others, but this is a development year for our squad - with the ultimate goal being for medals at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

"The crews and coaches know what work needs to be done to step up to the standard required for the World Championships.''

A total of 38 rowers, consisting of 13 boats, were named in the squad. Heading the team are the three-time men's pair world champions and Olympic gold medallists Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, who will be gold medal favourites in their event.

The team will now have a few weeks to train at Lake Karapiro before they depart for South Korea on August 11, with the championships beginning in Chungju a fortnight later.

New Zealand rowing team to compete at the 2013 World Rowing Championships
Women's single scull: Emma Twigg
Women's coxless pair: Rebecca Scown, Kayla Pratt
Women's lightweight single scull: Louise Ayling
Women's lightweight double scull: Julia Edward, Lucy Strack
Women's double scull: Fiona Bourke, Zoe Stevenson
Women's quadruple scull: Erin-Monique Shelton, Genevieve Armstrong, Georgia Perry, Sarah Gray
Women's eight: Kelsey Bevan, Genevieve Behrent, Eve Macfarlane, Jessica Loe, Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Robyn Munro, Linda Matthews
Men's lightweight single scull: Duncan Grant
Men's double scull: Robbie Manson, Michael Arms
Men's coxless pair: Hamish Bond, Eric Murray
Men's coxless four: Bobby Kells, Adam Tripp, Tobias Wehr-Candler, Jade Uru
Men's quadruple scull: Hayden Cohen, Nathan Flannery, Fergus Fauvel, Nathan Cohen
Men's lightweight coxless four: Curtis Rapley, Peter Taylor, James Hunter, James Lassche