Powerful N.Z. oarsmen coast into world final

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33933, 28 August 1975, Page 26

Powerful N.Z. oarsmen coast into world final

(N.Z. Press Association)

NOTTINGHAM. New Zealand’s top rowing prospect, the national .eight coached by Rusty Robertson, has three clear days after yesterday’s impressive win in its heat of the world rowing championships to contemplate Saturday’s final. The eight swept straight to the final when it led its heat from the start on Tuesday to win in smin 50.525ec. Rowing with five of last year’s bronze-medal winning crew, the New Zealanders finished three lengths clear of Czechoslovakia, with the defending world champions, the United States, a further length back in third place. The Soviet Union, which won the other heat in an almost identical race in smin 50.01 sec, also went directly to the final. Nine other crews were due to row todav for the remaining four places. Tuesday’s racing, in which the quadruple four also won its heat to go through to to-

morrow’s semi-finals and the coxed four finished fourth in its heat and races in today’s repechages, confirmed that once again Robertson has produced a world-class crew. ‘Some loose ends’ “With a race under their belt they can now get into the swing of competing,” he said afterwards. “What we have got to remember is that all the other crews at these world championships have been racing competitively for months.” Robertson said there were a few things to be tidied up before the final, but the crew now knew how good it was and would have benefited from “the feel of a race.” On Tuesday’s performances. the eight will be favoured to be among the medals on Saturday, but the Quadruple scull, which was in the slowest of three heats, still faces a difficult task to reach the final. The coxed four, largely sacrificed in changes needed for the eight, faced an even more awesome job in its rerw>chage today. The eight’s performance went exactly to plan. The Kiwis broke from the start,

rating 40 to the minute, and after four strokes were already a canvas clear of the world champions, the United States.

From there on it just cleared out while settling into overdrive at 37 strokes to the minute. The New Zealanders opened out to a length at 500 metres, one length and three-quarters at 750 metres, and two lengths at 1000 metres.

They held that lead to the finish, coasting a little over the last 200 m. The New Zealand crew rated about 37 strokes to the minute, slightly higher than the Russians in their heat. The stroke. Grant McAuley, said, “We were just singing along in the last 1000 m. “There was a fair bit left if we’d been pushed. Not bad at all for the crew's first race.” Good draw The New Zealand coxed four has drawn what appears to be the easiest of two repechage heats today. The coach. Peter Irvine, said after he learnt that the New Zealanders had missed

the strong East Germany and British crews: “It is as good a draw as we could expect. We must stand a chance of making the final.” To make the final, however. the crew will have to finish in the first two of a five-boat heat which includes the fancied West German crew and Rumania which beat New Zealand in heats. New Zealand has drawn lane five on the outside next to Rumania. It will also row against the United States and Yugoslavia. It easily beat Yugoslavia in heats hut the United States, a slow fifth in its heat, is expected to produce a greater effort. Tom Reid, coach of the quad, believes he can improve his crew’s performance with a faster start, and this will be where his effort will be directed. The crew looked smooth and comfortable winning its heat and obviously had a lot in hand. It will need to go faster in the semis as its heatwinning time was only sixth fastest of the day. The Kiwis won in 6min 20.935ec. East Germany won heat two in 6min 9.B4sec, and Czechoslovakia won heat one in 6min 13.81 sec.