Rowing: Big effort puts Winter into semis

Jade Winter, from the Oamaru Rowing Club, carries her boat up after her win in the women's club single sculls repecharge. Photo by Otago Rowing.
Jade Winter, from the Oamaru Rowing Club, carries her boat up after her win in the women's club single sculls repecharge. Photo by Otago Rowing.
A determined row by Jade Winter (Oamaru) took her into the semifinals of the women's club single sculls at Lake Karapiro yesterday.

Winter (17), who started rowing at Waitaki Girls High School four years ago, won her repechage at the New Zealand rowing championships in 8min 37sec.

It was a do or die effort, because only the winner advanced to the semifinals.

Jessica Munro (Cambridge) led out fast and was in front after 500m.

Winter was in third spot at that stage and knew she needed to bring out something special to stay in the race.

"I pushed hard and caught up with Jessica at halfway," Winter told the Otago Daily Times from Lake Karapiro.

Winter kept applying the pressure and moved away from Munro over the final 500m to win by four seconds.

She will begin a sport and leisure course at Waikato University later this month and will be lost to Otago rowing.

Lucy Strack (North End) dominated her repechage to easily qualify for the final of the premier women's single sculls.

Her time was 8min 00.89sec and she beat Carolyn Steele (West End) by 18 seconds.

Renee Perrie (Otago) paced herself to finish fifth in the women's senior single sculls in 8min 38.83sec and qualify for the final.

Thomas Stott and Sam Grant (Otago) finished second in the repechage of the men's club double sculls to reach the semi-finals.

Their time was 6min 57.43sec.

Fergus Fauvel (University), competing for the Southern RPC, finished fourth in the men's premier double sculls in 7min 15.84sec to reach the final.

He also finished fourth in the single sculls repechage behind world champions Duncan Grant (Central RPC) 7min 07.88sec, Nathan Twaddle (Auckland RPC) 7min 08.92sec and Graham Oberlin-Brown (Waikato RPC) 7min 13.62sec.

Fauvel was timed at 7min 15.84sec but it was not good enough to advance.

Alistair Bond (North End), rowing for the Southern RPC, finished third in the men's premier pair and failed to advance to the final.

The time was 7min 05sec.