Rowing: Satisfying day for Bond with two more premier titles

Hamish Bond (North End) has won 10 premier men's rowing titles and is still counting.

The latest two came at Lake Karapiro yesterday.

Bond (24) won the premier pair with Jade Uru in the Southern RPC crew, dominating the race to win by nearly four seconds in a time of 6min 23.52sec.

A few hours later he continued in the same vein when stroking the Southern RPC four to another gold medal in a close tussle with Waikato.

Bond's crew won in 6min 05.17sec from Waikato's 6min 05.85sec.

Bond has assumed the mantle of the iron man of New Zealand rowing that former international Chris White (Waikato) held in the 1980s and early 1990s when he won more than 30 red coats.

"It felt good today because the standard of racing is up a level from last year," Bond told the Otago Daily Times from Lake Karapiro.

"Two more red coats feels good and I've now reached double digits."

He can expect another gold in the quadruple sculls today, but it will be a harder task in the eight with the Central RPC and Waikato producing fast heat times.

The Central RPC time of 5min 31sec was the fastest eights time rowed in New Zealand waters.

Waikato was timed at 5min 32sec and Bond's Southern RPC crew in 5min 34sec.

In the pair, Bond and Uru rowed past the Waikato crew of Eric Murray and Simon Watson after 500m and sat in clear water when they passed the 1000m.

It was tougher in the four with the Southern RPC crew of Bond, Uru, John Storey and Matthew Trott down at the start.

They worked their way back by the 1000m and then put in a big move to take control.

The Waikato crew of James Dillenger, Murray, Watson and Paul Gerritsen refused to concede and came back over the last 250m.

Lucy Strack (North End) achieved an important milestone when she won her first national title and first yellow coat in the women's premier lightweight single sculls.

Strack (20), a massage therapy student, won by 2.52sec from Julie Edward (Waikato RPC) and Louise Ayling (Central RPC).

"It's just overwhelming.

"I'm so happy," Strack said.

"All the hard work over the last two years has paid off."

Strack finished third in the same event last year.

She is now expected to be selected to represent New Zealand at the world lightweight championships in Belarus in July.

Strack put pressure on her rivals early and took the lead after 500m.

She had a narrow lead over three other scullers at halfway.

Strack had broken the other crews by the 1250m mark and just had to hold her nerve to win the gold medal.

"I told myself to make every stroke perfect, get into a good rhythm and keep calm to hold my lead," she said.

Michael Nisbet (North End) won the bronze medal in the men's senior single sculls in 7min 07.93sec.

The race was won by Southland sculler Matthew Malcolm (Waihopai), with Matthew Glenn (Waikato) finishing with a late rush to pip Nisbet at the line.

Sarah Lindley (University) finished fourth in the women's under-21 single sculls in 8min 27.01sec.

Elyse Fraser (University) teamed with Sarah Barnes (Waihopai) to finish fourth in the women's premier double sculls in 7min 28.84sec.

The University combination of Fiona Bourke and Lindley finished fifth in the same race in 7min 41.30sec.

Renee Perrie (Otago) finished seventh in the senior women's single sculls in 8min 56.73sec.