The Otago club crew of Thomas Stott, Wilden, Tim Gardner and Will Sweetman reached the final of the club quadruple sculls by finishing third in their repechage on the second day of the national championships.
It was tougher in his repechage heat of the club single sculls, as only the winners of the eight heats reached today's semifinals.
Wilden (50) won his heat comfortably when he beat Jason Quilter (Clifton) by 15 seconds in a time of 7min 45.57sec.
It was the fourth-fastest time of the repechage heats.
Ricki Russell (Awarua) clocked the fastest time while winning his heat in 7min 44.35sec.
He was followed by George Proudfoot (Timaru), 7min 44.37sec, Matt Smaill (North End), 7min 44.73sec and Wilden.
Wilden, a Dunedin architectural designer, joined a rare breed of youthful oldies when he won a silver medal in the club coxless pair at the national championships at the same venue six years ago.
On that occasion he teamed with John Gardner but this time he has Gardner's father, Tim (49), in the boat with him.
The youngest member of the quadruple sculls crew is Stott (18).
Wilden and Gardner know their opponents will be full of youthful confidence, but they have experience on their side.
Wilden rowed at school for two years, but resumed only eight years ago after trying his hand at several different sports.
He played premier rugby for Eastern, Taieri and Green Island at openside flanker in the late 1970s and early 1980s then ran harriers for the Hill City club.
Gardner, the doctor at Outram, took up rowing 13 years ago and won a bronze medal in the club double sculls with Wilden at the national championships at Lake Ruataniwha four years ago.
Rachael O'Connell (North End) reached the semifinal of the women's club single sculls when she won her repechage in 8min 44.56sec from Georgina Galloway (Wanaka), who clocked 9min 09.90sec and also qualified for the semifinals.
Lucy Strack (North End) reached the final of the women's lightweight single sculls when she recorded the fastest time in the repechage with 8min 30.53sec.
The Port Chalmers United crew of Alex Sims and Tyler Smith won their repechage heat in 7min 08.17sec to qualify for the semifinals in the club double sculls.
The Otago University crew of Will Hyndman and Fergus Fauvel qualified for the semifinals when they came second in their heat in 7min 09.94sec.
The Otago University women's club coxed four of Anna Price, Sarah Lindley, Fiona Bourke, Amy Grundy and cox Aynsley Moore won their heat in 7min 48.54sec to qualify for the final.
Other Otago crews to make the finals were: Louise McEwan, Gabrielle Peach (Otago), third in the women's novice double sculls, and Finn and Stephen Campbell (Port United) in the men's novice double sculls.
