International Fiona Bourke (Otago University) made a superb start at the New Zealand rowing championships at Lake Karapiro by winning her heat of the women's premier single sculls.
Bourke, who started rowing as a novice when she enrolled at the University of Otago, has already stamped her mark on the international scene and has the potential to develop into one of New Zealand's best heavyweight female rowers.
She virtually booked her berth for the London Olympics when she was a member of the New Zealand women's quadruple sculls that won the bronze medal at the world championships at Bled last year.
Bourke stepped up another notch when she convincingly won her single sculls heat in 8min 01.63sec to book a place in the semifinals today.
Her time was almost 10sec faster than world championship bronze medallist Emma Twigg (Auckland RPC) who won her heat in 8min 11.01sec.
Bourke was also a key member of the Southern RPC quadruple sculls that finished second in its heat in 7min 20.77sec to qualify for the final.
Lucy Strack (North End), a member of the women's lightweight double sculls at last year's world championships, had a disappointing first day of the regatta when she finished third in her premier lightweight single sculls.
She was behind her rivals for a place at the Olympics and was forced into a repechage.
Louise Ayling (Central RPC) won the heat in a time of 7min 48.54sec from Julia Edward (Waikato RPC) 7min 54.54sec with Strack third in 8min 01.81sec.
Strack qualified for the final when she won her repechage in 8min 16.62sec. She also qualified for the women's heavyweight single sculls semifinal in another repechage.
Defending champions Hamish Bond and Jade Uru (Southern RPC) qualified for the semifinals of the mens premier pair today when they won their heat in 6min 42.39sec.
The pair also made the final of the premier coxless four when they came second in their heat in the repechage in 6min 07.30sec.
Fergus Fauvel (Otago University) missed a spot in the final of the men's premier single sculls when he finished third in the repechage in 7min 08.76sec.
Defending champion Nathan Cohen beat Peter Taylor to win the single sculls repechage and move with the former lightweight world champion to a hot-looking final on Saturday morning. It already boasts five-time world champion Mahe Drysdale and multiple pairs champion Eric Murray.
Taylor looked very smooth and deceptively fast as he pushed Cohen to a sub-seven-minute time on the course at Lake Karapiro - a very fast time in the conditions.
But Cohen, the two-time world double sculls champion, always looked the more powerful and sprinted away as he approached the line.
German Karsten Brodowski and former under 23 world champion and member of the New Zealand men's quadruple sculls John Storey complete the six-man final.
Zoe McBride (Otago) has a busy time at Lake Karapiro today and will contest three semifinals: the women's club double sculls with clubmate Hannah Duggan, women's under 21 single sculls and the club single sculls.
Duggan and Anna McAslan (North End) have also qualified for the women's club single sculls semifinal.
McAslan will be joined by Catherine Miller in the club double sculls.
Otago University has two crews in the semifinals of the women's novice double sculls. Nicola Shanks and Sophie Smith will be joined by Kate Stretton and Rose Taylor.
Local crews in the semifinal of the men's club double sculls are Bryce Abernethy with Jack O'Leary (Otago), and Simon Smith and Doug Cryer (Dunstan).
Abernethy, Smith and Cryer will be joined by Thomas Stott (Otago University) in the men's club single sculls.
