Renee Perrie (Otago) will be chasing her fifth gold medal at
the New Zealand championships starting on Lake Karapiro
today.
Perrie (24), a science graduate from the University of Otago,
started rowing at Otago Girl High School.
Her best chance of a title is in the senior women's single
sculls.
She is also contesting the premier single sculls.
She had outstanding championships at Lake Ruataniwha last
year and won two double sculls titles with Gretchen
Brownstein in the club and senior events.
Perrie also won a Maadi Cup title with an Otago Girls crew in
2004 and a year later won the under-19 double sculls with the
North End club.
Brownstein is not competing this year and Perrie decided to
concentrate on the single sculls events.
Otago rowing is pinning its hopes for medals on the big four
of Hamish Bond (North End), Lucy Strack (North End), Michael
Nisbet (North End) and Elyse Fraser (University).
Bond (24), who will be competing for Southern Regional
Performance crews, won four premier men's titles and has now
won eight red coats.
He has won two world titles and is poised to become one of
the great oarsmen in the history of New Zealand rowing.
Bond will be competing in the coxless pair, coxless four,
quadruple sculls and the eight at Lake Karapiro.
Strack, who has been dominant in South Island regattas this
season, is on the verge of becoming the best lightweight
women's rower in the country.
The massage therapist student is contesting the premier
lightweight single and double sculls for the Southern
Regional Performance Centre.
At Ruataniwha last year Strack won a bronze medal in the
women's lightweight double sculls.
Nisbet (21) has a point to prove after being ejected from the
Southern RPC at the start of the season.
He has dominated racing in the South Island regattas this
year.
Nisbet, who won a bronze medal in the premier double sculls
last year, will be competing in the senior men's single and
double sculls.
He will be partnered by club mate Robbie Mears in the double
sculls.
Mears will also be contesting the under-21 single sculls.
Fraser, who is also training with the Southern RPC, showed
good form when winning the South Island single sculls title.
She is partnered with New Zealand representative Sarah Barnes
(Waihopai, Southland) in the premier double sculls.
Fraser will also be contesting the premier single sculls,
quadruple sculls and the eight.
Other Otago rowers competing for Southern RPC crews are
Alistair Bond (North End), and Otago university rowers Fiona
Bourke, Sarah Lindley, Fergus Fauvel and Aynsley Moore.
Moore, rated as one of the best coxswains in the country,
will cox the Southern RPCs women's premier eight and the
Otago University mens four.
The University crew, that is coached by Sarah Walker, won the
South Island quadruple sculls title.
They will contest the men's club events.
The quadruple sculls crew is Albert Hanson, Jamie Saunders,
William Hyndman and James Harvey.
Matt Smaill will replace Hyndman in the coxed four.
Other crews to watch are the double sculls of Thomas Stott
and Sam Grant that will contest the club and senior mens
events.
Jade Winter (Oamaru) will contest the club and under-21
single sculls.
At Lake Ruataniwha last year Otago rowers won 15 medals seven
gold, three silver and five bronze.
The championships begin at Lake Karapiro today, and the
finals will be held on Friday and Saturday.
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