Squad Of Ten Boats Announced

Squad Of Ten Boats Announced 

Rowing New Zealand today announced a squad of 10 boats to take part in the Senior World Championships at Munich on August 26th.

The elite boats which will be run with a view to taking part in Munich and beyond in the important pre-Olympic year of 2007 will be the Men’s Single Scull, the Men’s Double Scull, the Men’s Coxless Four, Men’s Coxless Pair, Men’s Lightweight Double Scull and Lightweight Single Scull, the Women’s Double Scull, Women’s Coxless Pair, Women’s Eight and for the first time in nearly a decade – the Men’s Eight.

There is an historical significance for this boat – which will be coached by Mark Stallard – as the last time New Zealand sent an eight to Munich was for the 1972 Olympic Games, and they won it. High Performance Manager Andrew Matheson, however, says that although the announcement of a Men’s Eight is significant, it is a long term project.

“It’s great that we have the strength in depth to announce an eight for the international season, and what is significant is that it contains many younger athletes who have entered the elite programme from our successful Under 23 structure. Of course we want them to do well, but our view is that the eight is a long term goal.”

“The ergometer testing indicated we have athletes with the ‘engines’ inside them to go fast, but obviously there remains a lot of work to be done.”

Young charger Nathan Cohen is named in the Men’s Elite Double Scull, another athlete to make the step up from Under 23s. He will be partnered by Matt Trott. The Evers Swindell twins are once again selected for the Women’s Double Scull. Mahé Drysdale will be the in the Single Scull, while former champions Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater and Juliette Haigh and Nick Coles once again take the seats of the Men’s and Women’s Coxless Pairs. The team was also announced for the Under 23 World Championships at Strathclyde in Scotland commencing on July 26th.

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