It's been another golden day for the country's top rowers at the world champs in Amsterdam, thanks to new coxed pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and the women's four.
Hamish Bond, cox Caleb Shepherd and Eric Murray with their gold medals Photo: PHOTOSPORT
It's been another golden day for New Zealand rowers at the world champs in Amsterdam, with Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and the women's four setting world records as they won their finals.
Olympic men's pair champions Bond and Murray won the gold medal on debut in the men's coxed pair, setting a new world record - while the national women's four also won their 'A' final in world beating fashion.
Teaming up with coxswain Caleb Shepherd, Bond and Murray's record-breaking performance broke Croatia's previous world best time - which had been in place for 20 years - by nearly nine seconds.
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray training with coxswain Caleb Shepherd Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Murray, Bond and Shepherd clocked in a time of 6:33.26, which is the second world best time that Murray and Bond are holders of - they claimed the 6:08.5 world best time record in the coxless pair at the London 2012 Olympics.
The crew from Great Britain claimed the silver, and Germany secured bronze.
The national women's four crew of Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Kelsey Bevan and Kayla Pratt were perhaps even more impressive performers after only being formed into a combination a month ago.
They smashed the world best time set by Australia at the 2006 world championships by more than 10 seconds as they won in 6:14.36, easily taking out their final from the USA and China by over six seconds, gaining a one-length lead after 700 metres.
Four more New Zealand crews also advanced to 'A' finals, with the women's double scullers Zoe Stevenson and Fiona Bourke third in the semi-finals behind Australia - who set their own world best time - while Lithuania were second.
The Australians broke the record set by New Zealanders and double Olympic champions Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell at the 2002 world rowing championships.
The New Zealand men's lightweight four faced a crew change with Alistair Bond replacing an injured James Lassche but still managed third in their semi and a place in Sunday's 'A' final behind Denmark and Great Britain.
The Danish crew also set a world best time of 5:43.16.
Mahe Drysdale was second in his men's single scull semi behind the German Marcel Hacker, while Emma Twigg won her women's single scull semi by almost six seconds, easing the pressure off the last few strokes.
