NZ Men's Pair into World Champs final.
- Dave Worsley
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
One of the breakout crews in international rowing this season will race for the gold medal at the World Championships in China.
New Zealand's Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch were impressive winners in their semifinal of the Men's Pair on day three of the championships on the Lake Dianshan course in Shanghai.
LATEST HEADLINES:
They were the only New Zealand crew in action today, Taylor and Welch leading from start to finish in a field that included the Spanish duo noted for their fast finishes.
"We were prepared that they might have a good sprint, so we tried to get out ahead early to give us enough room so that if they did have a sprint, it'd be too little, too late," said Welch.
Taylor and Welch recorded a PB (6 min 16.60 sec) in their heat on Sunday. Today's conditions made for slower times, New Zealand crossing in 6.25.89.
"Probably not our best race but it's good to have things to work on, I guess," said Welch. "The wind was kind of all over the place, that was probably the trickiest part of it. If we can piece it together for the final, I think we'll definitely be in with a shot."
Romania won the other semi-final in 6.21.99.
It's been a highly successful run for the New Zealand crew that only teamed up at the beginning of the year.
They won gold at the World Cup Varese event in June and were second in the World Cup Lucerne event two weeks later. Now they find themselves in their first World Championship final, which is scheduled for Thursday at 6.44pm (NZT).
