Rowing: Twins' mentor given elite role

Rowing New Zealand has appointed Chris Nilsson to the position of elite project coach.

He was assistant coach to United States coaching guru Mike Teti and helped guide the US men's eight to the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Nilsson, who returned to New Zealand in March, will work alongside Rowing New Zealand head coach Richard Tonks, with particular responsibility for coaching the men's four, who finished fifth at Athens.

Nilsson introduced reigning Olympic and world champion Caroline Evers-Swindell to the sport of rowing in 1992. Two years later twin sister Georgina joined Caroline under Nilsson's tutelage.

In 1996 Nilsson coached the twins to seventh place at the world junior championships in Scotland.

A year later he accepted a coaching position with the Thames Rowing club in Britain and was also appointed as assistant coach of the Oxford University 'Blues' crew for three years.

This was followed by an appointment to Princeton University in the US and in 2000 he was engaged as a US squad coach and almost immediately guided the US men's coxed pair to a gold medal at the world championships in Croatia.

- NZPA