Five Tauranga Rowing Club rowers start trials for seats in New Zealand boats tomorrow on Lake Karapiro after success at the national championships in Twizel.
Tauranga was well represented at the nationals on Lake Ruataniwha, with nine athletes competing as part of the Waikato Regional Performance Centre on Karapiro.
Curtis Rapley teamed
up with fellow lightweight world silver medallist, Graham Oberlin-Brown (Te Awamutu), to win the men's lightweight double sculls.
Rapley was presented with his gold coat in recognition of winning a national title - the first gold coat for several decades to be awarded to a member of the Tauranga Rowing Club.
Rapley also went on to secure silver in the men's under-21 lightweight pair with Tauranga's Toby Earp Cunliffe-Steele.
Michael Berry combined with Tyna Williams (Hamilton) to win the men's under-21 pair, then went on to win his second gold medal in the men's under-21 four, backing up these results with a bronze in the men's premier eight.
Genevieve Armstrong ensured her one race for the week was a winning one, taking out gold in the women's premier quadruple sculls.
Zoe Stevenson secured bronze in the women's premier four, bronze in the women's premier eight (coxed by Tauranga's Max Clout) and silver in the women's under-21 four.
Former Tauranga Boys' College student Dirk Driessen won his first gold medal in the men's under-21 coxed eight.
Rapley, Adam Ling and Earp Cunliffe-Steele were joined by Andrew Annear to take bronze in the men's under-21 four.
Lightweight Lana Davison is one to watch in the future after coming third in the women's under-21 quadruple sculls, and then progressing to the women's lightweight single sculls final. Armstrong, Stevenson (New Zealand elite team), Rapley (under-23), Michael Berry (junior) and Clout have been selected to row in the national selection trials.
