Olympic champions Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter of Britain beat New Zealand’s world champions Peter Taylor and Storm Uru yesterday in a semi-final of the men’s lightweight double sculls at the World Rowing Championships held on Lake Karapiro in New Zealand’s North Island.
Purchase and Hunter, the Beijing gold medalists, completed the race in 6 minutes, 55.50 seconds, almost two full seconds ahead of Taylor and Uru, who won gold at last year’s world championships in Poland.
The first three crews in each semi-final progressed to tomorrow’s final. The third-place Portuguese crew of Pedro Fraga and Nuno Mendes also advanced.
PHOTO: EPA
In the second semi-final, China’s Zhang Fangbing and Wang Tiexin posted a faster winning time of 6 minutes, 54.81 seconds, two seconds ahead of Italy’s Lorenzo Bertini and Elia Luini. Canada’s Douglas Vandor and Cameron Sylvester were third.
Britain’s Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking won the first semi-final of the women’s lightweight double sculls in 7 minutes, 34.79 seconds, beating Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou of Greece. Kiwis Lucy Strack and Julia Edward were third.
Goodsell and Hosking won a gold and two silver medals on the World Cup circuit this season and are now among a lengthening list of top British medal prospects.
Canada’s Lindsay Jennerich and Tracy Cameron won the second women’s semi-final in 7 minutes, 40.93 seconds, more than six seconds slower than the British pair. Australians Alice McNamara and Hannah Every-Hall were second, while Germany’s Daniela -Reimer and Anja Noske third.
Greece, France, the US and Italy progressed through repechages to the final of the men’s coxless four with the US crew of Guiseppe Lanzone, Henrik Rummel, Samuel Stitt and Silas Stafford posting the best time of 6 minutes, 15.59 seconds.
Italy and the US reached the -final of the men’s quad sculls, while the US, Germany, Australia and New Zealand advanced to the final of the women’s quad.
The US, Czech Republic, Australia and Germany gained places in the final of the women’s double sculls after two repechages yesterday. Australia’s Kerry Hore and Kim Crow had the fastest winning time of 7 minutes, 1.45 seconds.
Australia’s Nick Hudson and Jared Bidwell won their repecharge in the men’s double scull from Switzerland and Argentina, which also progressed to the final.
Sarah Tait and Phoebe Stanley of Australia won the repechage in the women’s coxless pair.
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