World champions 2014: Fiona Bourke and Zoe Stevenson

Zoe Stevenson and Fiona Bourke. Photo / Getty Images

Rowing, double sculls: Fiona Bourke and Zoe Stevenson

New Zealand enjoyed a golden world championship campaign on the waters of the Bosbaan rowing lake in Amsterdam last August.

Six golds out of nine medals represented a fantastic vindication of Rowing New Zealand's work.

The last two were won by single sculler Emma Twigg, who had been so close to the title for the previous few years without quite scaling the top, and double scullers Fiona Bourke and Zoe Stevenson.

It hadn't been a smooth leadup. Indeed Otago's Bourke and Stevenson, from Tauranga, finished second in the B final at a World Cup in France in June. However, victory at the Lucerne World Cup immediately preceding the worlds set them up nicely.

The semifinal didn't go to plan. The New Zealanders finished third - only the top three made the final, although they were comfortably clear of the fourth finisher. The problem was that put them in the outside lane six for the final. Not ideal.

Bourke and Stevenson were fifth through the first quarter and up to fourth by halfway, third with 500m left.

At that point they put the foot down and roared to the line, winning in 6min 38.04s, with the Polish pair Magdalena Fularczyk and Natalia Madaj second almost 1.5s back and Australia finishing third.

The Olympic qualifying event for Rio 2016 is at the worlds in France this year.

Bourke and Stevenson should arrive there, assuming all goes according to plan through trials and elite team selection, in good shape and buoyed by the knowledge of what they achieved in 2014.