New Zealand's high hopes of fielding a K4 1000m crew at the Athens Olympics this year died on a cold morning in Poznan, Poland.
With the thermometer showing just 10C, the four of Ben Fouhy, Owen Hughes, Dave Kennedy and Steve Ferguson bombed out in the semifinals of the final Olympic
qualifying regatta, finishing seventh in a disappointing 3m 04.571s.
Poland won in 2m 58.925s, from Spain and Australia, all three advancing to the final.
New Zealand, who were third in their heat on the opening day just over four seconds faster, were never in the race from the start and could not pick up the pace down the course.
That race capped off a disappointing morning, with K1 paddler Troy Burbidge finishing fourth in his semifinal to miss a spot in the A final.
The K2 combination of Pete Longdill and Mike Walker were seventh in their semifinal - with the first three advancing to the final - in 3m 23.726s - 5.4s behind winners France.
That left Ferguson and Katie Pocock aiming to make the finals in the K1 500 races early today. Ferguson was third and Pocock fourth in their respective heats.
