Rowing: Bronze medal to O'Leary

Jack O'Leary.
Jack O'Leary.
Kavanagh College pupil Jack O'Leary helped the New Zealand men's quad scoop bronze at the world junior championships in Germany at the weekend.

It was a second world junior medal for the Dunedin rower, who claimed silver at the regatta last year.

In the A final, the New Zealanders lagged a little out of the start but soon made their way past Slovenia and into third place.

They sat clearly in the third position throughout the race as Germany and Great Britain battled it out in front for the top two spots.

O'Leary and company maintained their pace and comfortably won bronze in 6min 54.96sec.

New Zealand contested three A finals and two B finals on the last day of the regatta in Hamburg.

A second bronze was claimed by the men's coxed four, while the women's crews were sixth (quad), seventh (double) and eighth (four).

The New Zealand men's coxed four began the A final in the mix with both Great Britain and defending champion Italy.

Through the middle of the race, the British and Italian crews began to push each other, Italy launching a huge move to row away just after the 1000m mark and storm to gold.

The British managed to hold off the Kiwis in the second half.

O'Leary and New Zealand team-mates Jackie Gowler and Renee Olley will now head to China for the Youth Olympic Games from August 16 to 28.

Gowler and Olley will race in the women's coxless pair, while O'Leary will contest the men's single scull.

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