Proud pair win N.Z.’s first gold

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 17

Proud pair win N.Z.’s first gold

From

KEVIN TUTTY,

in Edinburgh

The proudest moment in the sporting lives of Stephanie Foster and Robyn Clark — when they won New Zealand’s first gold medal at the thirteenth Commonwealth Games at Strathclyde on Saturday — was overshadowed by the outcome of the eights race.

A stunned eight had to wait until after the finish of the women’s double sculls, which Foster and Clark won by 10 comprehensive lengths, before they learned they had pipped Canada for the bronze medal. Foster and Clark were hot favourites for their event and confirmed that favouritism by cruising to victory on the windswept man-made loch 70km outside Edinburgh. While they were powering their way down the course a dejected eight returned to the pontoon and disappeared into the athletes quarters. When the third place result was announced the eight were still in the athletes quarters and held up the medal presentation for 10 minutes before they finally appeared.

Meanwhile Foster and Clark were sitting in their shell out on the water waiting to row up to the victory dais. Eventually the call-up came and the Waikato pair stood proudly on the dais and “God Defend

New Zealand” was played for the first time at these Games. The emphatic win confirmed the pair as a world-class combination, and the New Zealand manager, Dudley Storey, made a quiet prediction that they would be medal chances at the world championships in Nottingham next month. New Zealand’s team for these championships will not be named until the end of the Games rowing regatta, but there is no doubt that the Waikato women have firmly established their places. Foster and Clark have been rowing together now for three years, honing their combination, and bit by bit improving their world standing. As Clark confessed after the race: “Stephanie was way up there (indicating with her hand above her head) when we first rowed together.” On Saturday though Clark did her fair share of the chores on the 2000 m course. She said they had wanted to make

a fast start to open a gap on the rest of the field.

Their plan worked perfectly. After 500 m they were a length ahead and their power and precision carried them to the greatest winning margin of the seven finals held on Saturday.

“We were slapping our oars round a bit out there (a reference to the chop caused by the stiff cross wind) and we knew we would be buffeted a bit at the 1000 m mark where the course is open. “By the time we reached the 1000 m we were confident that we had control of the race.”

For Foster the gold medal was a vindication of a disappointing result at the Olympic Games in 1984, and she still has the opportunity to win a second gold in the women’s single sculls on Tuesday. After the disappointment of 1984 Foster immediately began her build-up for Edinburgh. “I went home and got stuck in straight away. You have to. When you get beaten by something you’ve got to use it to your advantage. You’ve got to sort it all out, see why it happened, and try again.” Foster said she and Clark really began to combine well last year when they were training for the world championships in Belgium. “We both have a great deal of respect for each other, which is really important. We have to be open and frank to understand each other.”

With the medal presentations and press interviews over Foster’s next move was to take her prized medal "to show my Mum.”