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One of the breakout crews in international rowing this season will race for the gold medal at the world championships in China.
New Zealanders Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch were impressive winners in their semifinal of the men’s pair on day three of the championships on the Lake Dianshan course in Shanghai.
The only New Zealand crew in action yesterday led from start to finish in a field that included the Spanish duo noted for their fast finishes.
"We were prepared that they might have a good sprint, so we tried to get out ahead early to give us enough room so that if they did have a sprint, it’d be too little, too late," Welch said.
Taylor and Welch recorded a personal best of 6min 16.60sec in their heat on Sunday but yesterday’s conditions made for slower times, New Zealand crossing in 6min 25.89sec.
"Probably not our best race but it’s good to have things to work on, I guess," Welch said.
"The wind was kind of all over the place — that was probably the trickiest part of it. If we can piece it together for the final, I think we’ll definitely be in with a shot."
Romania won the other semifinal in 6min 21.99.sec
It has been a highly successful run for the New Zealand crew who only teamed up at the beginning of the year.
They won gold at the world cup event in Varese in June and were second in the world cup in Lucerne event two weeks later. — Allied Media