Edward gears up for Worlds

GOOD FORM: Julia Edward has collected another gold medal. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

Rotorua's Julia Edward and rowing partner Sophie MacKenzie are charging towards the 2016 Rio Olympics after another fine display in the New Zealand lightweight women's double scull.

Edward and MacKenzie won gold earlier this week at the final World Cup event of the season in Switzerland, adding to the silver they won at the second World Cup event in Italy last month.

The pair now have a six-week training camp in Slovenia before the most important regatta of the year, the 2015 World Rowing Championships in France at the start of September.

Edward and MacKenzie will be looking to defend their title at the world champs while also looking to qualify for the Rio Olympics.

Edward was delighted with their win this week in Lucerne, which saw them hold off a good South African pair in the A final.

"We stuck to everything we planned to do. We wanted to have an efficient first 500 metres and get in a good zone to set the platform for the rest of the race."

South Africa took the lead in the A final of the women's lightweight double out of the starting blocks.

Edward and MacKenzie were biding their time and were pushing up on the South Africans and, by the halfway point, were just 0.15 seconds behind.

The race remained close but the New Zealanders snuck through the final quarter with their bow in front and continued to pour on power to accelerate away from the South Africans.

New Zealand won gold in a time of 6m 55.06s, with the silver going to South Africa in 6:56.60 and bronze to the US. Edward and MacKenzie also won their semifinal.

New Zealand had a brilliant regatta in Lucerne with an outstanding medal haul of six gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

The women's lightweight single scull, women's lightweight double scull, men's lightweight four, men's single scull, men's pair, women's double all won gold.