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.
