Tom Murray (left) and Jamie Hunter say competing overseas has settled their nerves and confirmed they're on the right track. Photo / Photosport
Tom Murray (left) and Jamie Hunter say competing overseas has settled their nerves and confirmed they're on the right track. Photo / Photosport
Of the voids to fill in New Zealand sport this year, the men's coxless rowing pair must rank among the largest. Its parameters? Sixty-nine unbeaten races at 24 international regattas across eight seasons, including six world championships and two Olympic gold medals.
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray achieved those numbers. Who would dare grasp their oars?
Jamie Hunter, 25, and Tom Murray, 23, are proving they have the mettle to add to such folklore.
The pair raced their first international regatta, the World Cup at Lucerne, in July. They stormed down the Rotsee to triumph in 6m 34.5s, 1.17s ahead of Croatian brothers Martin and Valent Sinkovic, who moved to the single-oared pair after winning the double sculls at the Rio Games.
"When we heard they had decided to give sweep [oar] rowing a go, it was exciting," Murray says.
"They are accomplished and we knew they would be hard to beat. We had tried to follow their progress in the European season but they hadn't entered any races. Their first race was in the same regatta as ours.
"We didn't know what to expect from ourselves, let alone what they would put out. To get out in front was cool, and to have them come back at us towards the finish was nerve-racking to say the least."
In Rowing New Zealand's prognostic testing programme, Hunter and Murray work in the shadow of Bond and Murray's world-best time - 6m 08.5s at the London Olympics - every day.
"We're constantly out there comparing ourselves to that benchmark," Hunter says.
"Very few mornings will we get anywhere near, but I think the Lucerne result gave us the confidence to know we're doing something right.
"At the start of the season the pressure was there. We were worried about our form when we left for overseas, but rowing against other pairs eased our nerves."
Both competed at Rio. Murray came from the eight and Hunter from the lightweight four. The duo also have pedigree in the pair, winning the class at the 2016 and 2017 national championships. They are coached by Noel Donaldson, who mentored their predecessors to a second Olympic gold, as well as being a central figure behind Australia's success in the 1990s and 2000s.
Hunter and Murray have made the transition to elite success with barely a ripple of fuss or bother as the world championships loom this month in Florida.
They are not alone. Rowing New Zealand's small boat programme has regenerated, despite a high performance funding dip from $5.3 million to $5.1m per annum after the sport secured three of the five medals forecast at Rio.
Tom Murray and Jamie Hunter. Photo / Hamish Burson/Rowing NZ
Single sculler Robbie Manson, pair Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast, double scullers Olivia Loe and Brooke Donoghue, lightweight double scullers Jackie Kiddle and Zoe McBride and double scullers Chris Harris and John Storey have each won at least one World Cup this season.
"When I was making my season goals with Jamie and Noel, it was difficult to say I want to be winning straight away," Murray says.
"But we did make high goals and we're fulfilling them so far. Back at school [Marlborough Boys' College] the pair was my favourite boat. At trials, I jumped at the chance to get into it.
"It's the biggest change you can make boat-wise in the sweeping discipline. It's a lot quieter with two of us. I'm enjoying the different challenge, but the camaraderie in an eight is still something special."
The pair boat tends to be less stable than an eight or a four.
"You can't be doing wild things with your body," Hunter says. "But when a big boat's off balance, there's not much you can do personally. The good thing about a pair is that you can readily prop it up."
What has also needed a boost is Hunter's dietary intake. His lightweight background restricted him to a race weight of around 70kg during the last Olympic cycle. This season he's been granted a licence to take a shovel to the buffet, with a view to delivering more power. Weekly scales scrutinise his progress.
"It's a new challenge, trying to play the calorie game in the opposite direction," he says. "I haven't put on as much weight as I hoped. I've added just less than 10kg.
"You have to be precious with the real estate in your stomach. I'm trying to get as many calories in as possible, without eating fluff."
Murray appears as interested in the mental side of the sport as the physical. Once, when asked by World Rowing for three guests he'd invite to dinner he ventured Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great - provided they could bring translators. One suspects Murray is a man who likes to get things done.
"You don't get to this point in any high performance sport if you're not willing to push the limits. You've got to enjoy doing that, or you won't last."
Hunter says the subsequent fitness and stamina allows them to stay composed in races.
"You don't want to seize up and lose your discipline in the last 500m. That's when you can make big mistakes. It's a challenge to stay disciplined under the hurt."
Donaldson has avoided comparing the pair directly with their predecessors, much like he didn't want to be assessed against Dick Tonks when he took over coaching Bond and Murray after the 2012 Olympics.
The former coxswain adds snippets of wisdom if he thinks they are helpful, and has a favourite on-water megaphone catch-phrase: "Your body will adapt".
"A lot of it is about working things out for yourself," Hunter says. "People can offer advice, but it's all about the interpretation.
"If we're struggling, Noel can often describe how Hamish and Eric might've come across and dealt with similar problems. It's just reassuring to know that ... everyone has issues no matter how good they are. No one's invincible."
