Maadi Cup Regatta Rowing: King on target to be next Twigg

Georgia King is comfortable with being labelled the next Emma Twigg.

"It's pretty cool," said King, a 15-year-old rower from Napier Girls' High School. It's easy to see why she has been compared with the Kiwi Olympian and multiple world champion who she ranks alongside Caroline Meyer and Georgina Earl, the Evers-Swindell twins as they were known when representing the Bay, as her heroes.

At last week's national secondary schools Maadi Cup rowing regatta in Twizel, King won gold medals in the under-17 and under-16 girls' single sculls.

The Year 11 student, who has only been rowing for two seasons and for one as a single sculler, is believed to be the first since Twigg to manage this feat. Twigg was attending the same school when she produced this prestigious double 12 years ago.

At 1.82m the Ross Webb-coached King is slightly taller than Twigg was at the same age.

"I want to follow Emma's path and represent New Zealand at Olympic Games and world championship level. At the same time I want to pursue a career in medicine," King explained.

Having been selected to trial for the North Island under-18 team, a rare feat for a rower her age, is an indication King is on target to emulate Twigg's international feats.

"I went to Twizel with aims of winning gold in the under-16 event and making the final in the under-17s. It was awesome to exceed expectations," King said.

With fellow NGHS student Karleigh Daly she finished seventh in the under-16 double. King attributed strict nutrition and eating programmes as well as a gruelling training schedule as the keys to her success.

During weeks when there are no regattas King trains every day apart from Friday. She was one of 25 Hawke's Bay rowers among 2100 athletes in Twizel and the Bay contingent who appeared in 12 A finals.

Lindisfarne College's Tom Mackintosh, who is coached by his father Jock Mackintosh and Don McDonald, won bronze in the under-17 single scull final. McDonald and coach Mackintosh also coached three Napier Boys' High School crews to medals. They were Edwin Laver and Liam Kitchin, who won silver in the under-18 pair, Laver, Matt and Liam Kitchin, Pat Nichol and coxswain Peter Holt who won gold and the Springbok Shield in the under-18 four and Laver, Matt, Liam and Luke Kitchin, Nichol, Alistair Wilson, Angus Lindsay, Henry Nash and Holt to bronze in the premier event, the under-18 boys' Maadi Cup eight.

The Webb-coached Kate Laracy from Iona College won bronze in the under-16 single scull final won by King.

Webb pointed out ill health prevented North Island Secondary School Championship medalists Ashlea Quirk from Napier Girls' High School and Jess Turfrey and Julia Harris from Hastings Girls High School from returning home with medals. However Quirk was selected as a New Zealand Junior trialist.

Mackintosh, Laver, Holt, Nichol, Matt and Liam Kitchin were also named as New Zealand Junior trialists.

Webb, the Hawke's Bay Rowing Club club captain, said his club was proud of the medal haul.

"To achieve it during the same week as their role model Emma [Twigg] won gold in the women's single at the Sydney round of the World Cup made it sweeter," Webb added.