Julia Fauth (St Kevin's College) used her strength to win a Maadi Cup gold medal at Lake Karapiro yesterday.
She won the girls under-16 single sculls in 8min 20.91sec and held off a strong challenge from Anna O'Leary (Kavanagh) in 8min 21.65sec.
Fauth (15), a boarder at St Kevin's who comes from Wanaka, used her strength to upset the race plan of O'Leary, who beat her in the sprint at the South Island club championships.
Fauth's tactics were devised by her coach, Owen Gould, and she carried them out to the letter.
''I wanted Julia to put her foot on the throat of the opposition through the middle stages and use her incredible strength,'' Gould said from Lake Karapiro.
Fauth and O'Leary were together after 600m when the St Kevin's sculler burst away.
''By 600m out, Julia had stretched her lead to three lengths,'' Gould said.
''She hung on to that until the 250m-to-go mark when O'Leary started her sprint.''
Fauth has been rowing for two years but this is her first year of sculling.
Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh), a brother of Anna, used his speed effectively to win the gold medal in the boys under-17 single sculls in a close finish.
O'Leary was first in 7min 18.72sec and was followed home by Olly Stephens (Nelson College) 7min 18.95sec and James Walker (Timaru Boys') in 7min 19.10sec.
The experienced Kavanagh College combination of Zoe McBride and Hannah Duggan controlled the race early to win the girls under-18 double sculls in 7min 18.31sec from the Epsom Girls pair of Lexi Kerr and Lucy Jones in 7min 22.63sec.
The Dunstan girls under-15 quadruple sculls of Eirlys Bond, Ella Galletly, Lucy Geddes, Sydney Cook and cox Jack Bruce won a bronze medal in 7min 31.60sec.
The Mount Aspiring boys under-15 double sculls of Riley Bruce and Nathan Redai finished fourth in 7min 12.93sec.
Redai and Jamie Bowley finished third in the boys under-18 pair B final in 7min 09.78sec.
Maysie Scott (Waitaki Girls') finished runner-up in the girls under-17 single sculls B final in 8min 38.14sec.
