Tauranga sweep-oar rower Michael Berry has added another medal to a growing collection, winning bronze at the world under-23 world championships in Trakai, Lithuania, after being buffeted out of the gold medal hunt by a strong headwind.
Now based in Hamilton, where he had been studying for a sports sciencedegree, Berry won silver at the world junior champs in Austria four years ago in a men's eight.
Rowing in the men's coxed four, Berry, Alex Kennedy, Axel Dickinson, Robert Kells and Caleb Shepherd had a fierce battle with the United States and reigning world champions Serbia.
The comparatively small crew rowed into a strong headwind, which counted against them, and were fourth through 1000m, trailing Serbia by two seconds, with the US second and Germany less than a second ahead.
By the 1500m mark they had moved into clear third, a second up on Austria with the Germans fading, and continued their strong finish to grab the bronze in 6:37.87, with the US (6:35.42) winning silver and Serbia easing to the gold in 6:34.13.
The two other Tauranga rowers at Trakai, Adam Ling and Toby Cunliffe-Steel, had to satisfy themselves with a good showing in the B final of the lighweight four.
Having snuck into the semifinal with third in their heat behind Poland and Austria, Ling and Cunliffe-Steel missed out on the final but were a boat length behind the United States in the B final.
New Zealand won two golds in Lithuania, with men's double scullers Nathan Flannery and Hayden Cohen coming out on top in a gripping battle with the Germans.
It means the Cohen brothers now both hold world titles in the double scull, with Hayden's brother and two time world champion Nathan now limbering up for the Olympic campaign with another former under-23 world champion, Joseph Sullivan.
On Saturday Kayla Pratt and Kelsey Bevan took gold in the women's pair.
