Five more crews make A finals at World Champs

Five more crews make A finals at World Championships

Five of the seven boats racing in semi finals at the World Rowing Championships in Poznan progressed to the A finals after solid performances today.

Rebecca Scown and Emma Feathery didn't get off to their fastest of starts sitting in fifth place, but in the pack nonetheless, at the 500 metre mark. Between then and halfway, however, the girls once again demonstrated superior base boat speed as they cruised through China, Germany, Great Britain and France to assume the lead into the second half. The Brits stayed close but Scown and Feathery moved clear at the end to qualify for the A final. Unbeaten this season, the World Final will be their biggest test by far when they face The United States, Australia, Romania, Great Britain and Germany.

Eric Murray and Hamish Bond followed that up with a more comfortable win in their semi, putting them into the A final. They were in the lead by 500 metres and never looked back. The United States and France stayed closest to them to take the other two major final places from the race. Great Britain, Greece and France qualified from the other slightly slower semi.

The main final of the women's double sculls will be without Paula Twining and Anna Reymer, despite a huge effort in their semi final. They were fifth at halfway but pushed through Finland to take fourth. They couldn't claw back the deficit to third Placed Bulgaria though. They will go in the B Final for a seventh to 12th place ranking and will be hungry for the highest possible placing.

Nathan Cohen and Matthew Trott made their second world final with a close second behind the favoured German double of Eric Knittel Stephan Krueger. Third for the first half of the race, the duo moved into a clear second place as the race progressed. France, Slovenia, Serbia will join the Kiwis, Germany and Estonia in the final.

The straight four of Tyson Williams, Hamish Burson, Simon Watson and Jade Uru drew the harder of the semis but gave a fantastic account of themselves with a fighting fourth. The Under 23 champions went through the 500 metre mark in sixth, but moved through the field and at one point held the vital third before the Slovenian's final sprint prevailed. The British boat was always out of reach. The crew now race in the B Final.

Emma Twigg looked in good company in her semi sculling away from the field with Mirka Knapkova and legend Ekaterina Karsten. A top three place was what she required in this tough semi to make the final and she always looked like she was going to claim it. Knapkova and Karsten slipped away in the final metres, but Twigg could well have been keeping her gunpowder dry for Saturday's final.

Mahe Drysdale won his semi - beating Tim Maeyens and German Mathias Rocher convincingly. The final will be another modern sculling era epic, with Alan Campbell, a rejuvenated Ondrej Synek and Olympic champion Olaf Tufte all lining up.

Duncan Grant and lightweight double Peter Taylor and Storm Uru go in their semis on Friday. There is a good chance both could add to the six New Zealand boats already in A finals.

 ends

© Scoop Media