Hamish Bond (North End), the iron man of New Zealand rowing, is expected to add two more red coats to his collection at Lake Ruataniwha this week.
Bond (25) has won 11 premier titles over the last four years and will be keen to retain his pairs title with Jade Uru and the fours with Uru, Carl Meyer and John Storey.
He is also stroke of the Southern Regional Performance Centre eight that is third favourite on paper for the national regatta.
Bond has taken over the iron man role from Chris White (Waikato) who was a world champion in the New Zealand eight in 1982 and 1983 and won more than 40 red coats in his long career.
"I'm not chasing his record," Bond said.
"I'm just taking it year by year."
The formation of crews from the Regional Performance Centres has brought more competition to the national championships and made it more difficult to win premier titles.
"Its now a different game," Bond said.
"But I still want to win titles."
Bond, the world champion in the event for the last two years with Eric Murray, will be attempting to win his fourth successive pairs title.
He has combined with Uru for the last two years.
He will be pitted against Murray, who is paired with David Eade in the Waikato RPC crew.
Eade and Uru were both in the bronze medal-winning four at the Lake Karapiro world championships.
Bond and Uru will be teamed with Carl Meyer and John Storey in the coxless four, an event that Bond has also won for the last three years.
Meyer, who comes originally from Central Otago, was in Bond's world championship four in 2007.
"We have won in the past and this gives me confidence," Bond said.
"But I'm not complacent, because other crews can step up, as Great Britain proved at the world championships last year."
Bond has come through a gruelling training period at Lake Karapiro under coach Dick Tonks for the last two months and knows that he is fit.
He has spent 30 hours on physical training each week with 24 hours on the water and additional training with weights and stretching.
North End rowers Bond and Lucy Strack have pointed the way to Otago rowers over the last three years and the challenge is to maintain a high standard.
Otago won 10 medals (including five gold) in 2008, 12 medals (six gold) in 2009 and seven medals (four gold) last year.
Michael Nisbet (North End) won two medals last year - silver in the senior double sculls with Robbie Mears and bronze in the senior double sculls - and is expected to be standing on the podium at Lake Ruataniwha again this year.
Other Otago rowers with medal potential are Elyse Fraser (University), women's senior single sculls; Chelsea Oliver and Hannah Baddock (University), women's novice double sculls; Hannah Duggan and Zoe McBride (Otago), women's club double sculls; Matt McGovern and Matt Smaill (University), men's club double sculls; Josh Drummond, Jared Maclachlan, Ethan Edmunds-Scott, Bradley Thompson, Nick Drummond (Dunstan Arm), under-19 male coxed four; Johannah and Caitlan Kearney (Oamaru), under-19 female double sculls; Otago University club eight; Jade Winter (Oamaru) and Saasha Bruce (Wanaka), women's club single sculls.
