Kiwi pair make A final and seal Olympic spot

Rotorua rower Julia Edward Photo/Ben Fraser

Rotorua's Julia Edward and rowing partner Sophie MacKenzie have secured their place at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Despite the top achievement, the pressure is still on for the New Zealand pairing.

Edward and MacKenzie race in the A final of the women's lightweight double scull event tonight at midnight (NZT) during the World Rowing Championships in France.

They are looking to win gold and defend the world title they claimed last year.

Edward and MacKenzie easily won their semifinal on Thursday night to fire themselves into the A final. By making the A final they secured their spot at the Olympics next year.

However, Edward told the Rotorua Daily Post last week their main goal at the world champs in France was to win.

"It's also the Olympic qualification regatta so we need to place in the top 10. We don't want that to be our focus for this regatta though. If we aim to win the rest will fall into place."

The pair took gold last year at the world champs after spending only five weeks together. They have had a full season together this year and looked very strong in their semifinal on Thursday.