Four New Zealand rowers are moments away from racing for gold in Bulgaria after an commanding semifinal display that announced their serious medal ambitions at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv.
Charlie Field, Sam Bird, Alex Walters and George Langley dominated their Men’s Four semifinal to claim a spot in tonight’s A Final. Leading from the gun, they stretched their advantage through the race to finish in 6min 08.31sec, nearly two seconds clear of France and Spain. It was a stark turnaround from their heat yesterday, when the French crew had run them down in the final 200 metres. This time, they controlled it entirely.
“It was only New Zealand’s second race together,” Rowing New Zealand noted, and the improvement was tangible. The crew’s confidence will matter in the medal race at 8.49pm NZT.
The Men’s Double Sculls pairing of Charlie Manser and Aidan Bennett also earned their spot in the A Final, though the path was tighter. They’d arrived as the fastest crew from the heats by five seconds, but as racing narrows toward finals, the competition stiffens. Against Turkey, China and a crew of Individual Neutral Athletes, they sat fourth at 500 metres. They built through the middle of the race and pressed hard in the final 500, but couldn’t bridge the gap, crossing in 6:33.71, just over two seconds behind the winners. They race again at 8.19pm.
Two New Zealand crews didn’t make the step up. Eleri Clare and Zara Blackie finished fourth in their Women’s Double Sculls semifinal, crossing in 7:20.76. They held third for the first half but Ireland accelerated into contention in the third 500 metres, and the Kiwi pair couldn’t find an answer. Poland won in 7:14.25. Clare and Blackie now race the B Final at 6.57pm.
Charlotte Mawston, Georgia Kendrick, Charlotte Gorman and Jess Walkinshaw came painfully close in the Women’s Four. Racing through the strongest heat in the draw, they had the USA and France to contend with, plus crews that had qualified on time. They held third at 500 metres and remained within reach through 1500 metres, but finished fourth, just 0.09 seconds outside the final. The USA won in 6:56.79. The Women’s Four will contest the B Final at 7.07pm.
So medal contention, and chances to push for podium finishes. Two finals tonight, two B races, and for the Kiwi rowers, the chance to finish strong.
