2017 World Cup Tour Wrap Up
2017 World Cup Tour Wrap Up
The 2020 Olympic cycle is well underway with the Kiwi crews dominating the world cup circuit, and raking in the silverware at Henley. The team are back at Karapiro now, immersed in training once more, preparing for the big one of the year- the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida.
While the Rowers themselves undoubtedly had little opportunity to revel in the successes of the opening events of 2017, we are more than happy to reflect on each crew with pride while we wait for the next round of action come September…
Women’s Pair
Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast
WC Poznan: 1st – New World Best Time: 6.49.08
Henley Royal Regatta: 1st
WC Lucerne: 1st
Having demonstrated their potential together back in 2015 when they won silver medals in both the pair and eight, Prendergast and Gowler have gone from strength to strength with dominant wins in all three regattas so far this season. With a particularly special performance in Poznan culminating in a new world best time, the future is bright for this talented two-some.
Top 3 Challengers: USA, Denmark, Great Britain
Men’s Pair
Jamie Hunter, Tom Murray
WC Lucerne: 1st
With injury ruling them out of both Poznan and Henley, the new men’s pair of Jamie Hunter and Tom Murray only had one chance this tour to prove their inheritance of the great Kiwi Pair legacy. The combination failed to disappointed, earning an impressive win over the fast finishing Croatian super-scullers the Sinkovic brothers, to set up what will no doubt be an enthralling battle come September.
Challengers: Croatia, France, Italy
Women’s Double
Olivia Loe, Brooke Donoghue
WC Poznan: 1st
Henley Royal Regatta: 1st
WC Lucerne: 1st
Another crew following in a famous legacy of Kiwi rowing legends, the doubles combination of Olivia Loe and Brooke Donoghue announced their arrival on the scene with a clean sweep of the early regattas. Survivors of the disappointment of missing out on the Rio Games last year, Loe and Donoghue have fought back to assert themselves at the top of women’s sculling with impressive, gutsy performances.
Top 3 Challengers: France, Australia, China
Men’s Double
Chris Harris, John Storey
WC Poznan: 1st
Henley Royal Regatta: 1st
WC Lucerne: 1st
Not to be outdone by their female counterparts, the new men’s double of John Storey and Chris Harris powered their way to a hattrick of victories of their own. The wins mark the first world cup golds for Storey since his elite debut in 2010, and an exciting new proposition for Harris after his Rio doubles partner, Robbie Manson, opted for the single scull. The double sculls are always a thrillingly close event, and this kiwi combo are certainly a crew to watch.
Top 3 Challengers: Poland, Italy, Norway
Women’s Lightweight Double
Jackie Kiddle, Zoe McBride
WC Poznan: 1st LW1X Jackie Kiddle
WC Lucerne: 1st
With injury ruling McBride out of the boat for World Cup Poznan, Jackie Kiddle stepped up to take an impressive come-from-behind victory in the lightweight single. The performance would have been an ominous warning for the duo’s rivals, with McBride’s own resume in the single, and an U23 doubles title together hinting at their potential. The culmination in Lucerne, gold by more than 4 seconds, was nothing short of dominant and undoubtedly an indicator of a bright future to come.
Top 3 Challengers: Poland, China, The Netherlands
Men’s Lightweight Single
Mathew Dunham
WC Poznan: 7th
Henley Royal Regatta: 1st
WC Lucerne: 5th
Having proved himself very useful indeed as a reserve called in to help the lightweight four to victory in the world cup regattas of 2016, Matt Dunham has continued to show his potential in his first elite tour in the lightweight single. His performance in Henley certainly turned heads, as in the absence of a lightweight event, he sprinted to victory over the heavyweight field winning the prestigious Diamond Sculls title. Moving into the A-final in Lucerne, Dunham came through with a credible fifth place, within striking distance of the medals in what is always a hotly contested event. Matt Dunham is on the rise this year, don’t be surprised to see him fighting it out for the hardware in Florida.
Top 3 Challengers: Poland, Switzerland, Hungary
Men’s Single
Robbie Manson
WC Poznan: 1st – New World Best Time: 6.30.74
WC Lucerne: 1st
Arguably the breakout star of 2017, from the outside Robbie Manson’s debut season in the single scull couldn’t be going better. Fighting back from the disappointment of missing a finals berth in Rio in the double, Manson blitzed the field in Poznan, setting a new world best time in the process. Another decisive victory in Lucerne has marked Manson as the favorite for gold in Florida, where he will seek to join the ranks of legends Waddell and Drysdale before him, as a World Champion in the single sculls.
Top 3 Challengers: Cuba, Belarus, Switzerland
Men’s Quad
Lewis Hollows, Cameron Crampton, Nathan Flannery, Giacomo Thomas
WC Poznan: 7th
Henley Royal Regatta: 2nd
WC Lucerne: 4th
The new-look Men’s Quad combination marks the elite team debut for Lewis Hollows and Cameron Crampton, with Nathan Flannery and Giacomo Thomas bringing some experience to the boat. The crew have gotten better and better over the course of the three regattas, with a promising 2nd at Henley, followed by a strong showing in Lucerne, missing the medals by less than a second. The best is yet to come for this promising crew, an exciting prospect to look forward to.
Top 3 Challengers: Lithuania, Poland, Great Britain
Women’s Eight
Emma Dyke, Lucy Spoors, Rebecca Scown, Kelsi Walters, Kelsey Bevan, Georgia Perry, Ashlee Rowe, Ruby Tew, Sam Bosworth (cox).
WC Poznan: 1st
Henley Royal Regatta: 1st
WC Lucerne: 2nd
With five fresh faces added to the boat since their creditable 4th place in Rio, the women’s eight have continued to testify to the strength of women’s rowing in New Zealand. The crew began with World Cup victory in Poznan, took another win at Henley, and rounded off with a gutsy row to silver in Lucerne to be crowned World Cup series champions. The impressive consistency this crew has delivered over the course of the campaign bodes well as they look to continue their winning ways in Florida.
Top 3 Challengers: Romania, Great Britain, USA
Men’s Eight
Drikus Conradie, Brook Robertson, Steven Jones, Shaun Kirkham, Isaac Grainger, Paddy McInnes, Anthony Allen, James Lassche, Caleb Sheppard (cox).
WC Poznan: 2nd
Henley Royal Regatta: 3rd
WC Lucerne: 9th
Similar to the women’s crew, the Men’s eight has four members returning from Rio, with Drikus Conradie, Paddy McInnes, Anthony Allen and James Lassche stepping into the boat for the first time. The crew made their presence known in Poznan with an impressive row to silver in 5.23- the fastest ever for a Kiwi Men’s eight. Another strong performance in Henley behind newly minted world record holders Germany, proved this crew could be serious contenders in world rowing’s blue riband event. While the crew will be disappointed to have missed the A-Final in Lucerne, the potential they have demonstrated in their early regattas will no doubt fuel their mission to crack the medals again in September.
Top 3 Challengers: Germany, Australia, The Netherlands
Congratulations to the New Zealand Rowing Team on their successes in 2017!
Our best wishes for the next 8 weeks of training- bring on World Champs!!
The Team at Concept2 NZ Ltd
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