Rowing: Bond, Murray among five NZ golds

The Invincibles do it again - and more is yet to come.

Otago rower Hamish Bond and pairs partner Eric Murray are maintaining their remarkable form as they seek to win yet another world title.

The pair cruised to victory in the second world cup of the season at Aiguebelette, France, on Sunday night.

After a slow start, the New Zealand pair pushed their bowball in front just beyond the 500m mark, and opened up a significant lead over Germany and Great Britain by the halfway point.

Bond and Murray won gold in 6min 22.4sec and Germany claimed silver in 6min 33.00sec.

The New Zealanders have remained unbeaten in the men's pair since being selected into the crew in 2009.

Along with their team-mates, they will stay in Europe to prepare for the third and final world cup regatta in Switzerland on July 11-13.

After that, the world championships take place in Amsterdam in the last week of August.

Four other New Zealand crews - the women's lightweight single, women's and men's single scull, and men's lightweight four - won gold in France.

Olympic and five-time world champion Mahe Drysdale was slow out of the blocks in the single scull final, and was only fourth at the halfway point.

But he staged an impressive sprint to the finish and reached the front with a few hundred metres to go, winning in 6min 55.15sec.

Mirka Knapkova (Czech Republic) took the early lead in the women's single scull final, but New Zealand's Emma Twigg stayed patient and eased to the lead at the halfway mark.

Twigg charged to the line to win by a length, backing up her win in the Sydney world cup in March.

In the men's lightweight four final, Curtis Rapley, James Lassche, Peter Taylor and James Hunter took the lead after the first quarter and never looked back, winning in 5min 53.81sec.

Julie Edward won the women's lightweight single scull final in convincing fashion in 7min 41.17sec. Ruth Walczak (Great Britain) applied pressure in the sprint, but Edward held her composure.

Edward will hope to return to the women's lightweight double scull for the Lucerne world cup, pending Dunedin rower Lucy Strack's form, which will be confirmed at the end of the month.

 


French world cup
NZ medallists

Gold: Women's lightweight single scull, men's single scull, women's single scull, men's pair, men's lightweight four.

Bronze: Women's quad.


 

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