New Zealand Rowers Shine at World Championships in Shanghai

New Zealand’s rowing teams made a strong start at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China, on September 25, 2023. Both the men’s pair and the women’s quadruple sculls successfully advanced to the next stages of competition. The men’s pair, featuring rowers Ben Taylor and Oliver Welch, secured a place in the semifinals, while the women’s quad is set for the A final.

Taylor and Welch celebrated their achievement with a subtle fist bump after winning heat four of the men’s pair. “That’s our PB in the pair this season,” Taylor remarked, noting their time of 6 minutes 16 seconds, which was a slight improvement over their previous best of 6 minutes 17 seconds achieved at World Cup one in June. Taylor expressed satisfaction with their performance, saying, “It definitely gives us confidence.” He added that they prefer to focus on their own process rather than comparing themselves to others.

Meanwhile, the women’s quadruple sculls crew, consisting of Veronica Wall, Stella Clayton-Greene, Kathryn Glen, and Ella Cossill, adopted a conservative strategy in heat two. Initially lagging behind the leaders, the crew passed through the first 500 meters in fourth place, trailing Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland.

“We didn’t really settle into race pace,” Cossill explained about their approach. “We just kept it ticking along, and that really solidified our legs and got us moving in that middle 1000.” Their steady effort paid off as they inched closer to the leading boats, ultimately finishing the heat in third place, just behind the Netherlands and Germany.

The final stretch of the race was particularly encouraging for Cossill. “We didn’t really have a big wind, so we’ve got that in our back pocket for the final.” The Netherlands claimed victory in heat two with a time of 6 minutes 13.02 seconds, followed closely by Germany at 6 minutes 14.13 seconds. New Zealand qualified for the A final with a solid time of 6 minutes 16.96 seconds, marking them as one of the two fastest crews after the automatic qualifiers from both heats.

Cossill praised the performance of their stroke, Veronica Wall, highlighting her impressive debut at the elite international level. “She did a great job,” Cossill said. “She found that as easy as a race can be. There was no worry that she was going to get rattled. She’s a racer.”

As the competition progresses, both New Zealand crews will look to build on their successful starts. Taylor and Welch will race in the semifinals on September 26, while the women’s quad prepares for their final later in the week. With their promising performances, the teams are set to make a mark at this prestigious event.