NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Rowing: Time out leaves Drysdale with catching up to do

By David Leggat
Reporter·NZ Herald·
16 May, 2014 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Mahe Drysdale has a new training regimen in the hope of regaining his race-winning form. Photo / AP

Mahe Drysdale has a new training regimen in the hope of regaining his race-winning form. Photo / AP

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mahe Drysdale finds himself in unusual territory as he prepares for this year's European rowing campaign.

Since moving into the single seat in 2005, Drysdale has won five world titles, one silver, an Olympic gold and bronze and rates among the all-time greats.

His career in that time has been guided by the sure and certain knowledge that at the startline, provided he performed to the best of his capabilities, he would be the dominant figure in his class.

Not so now. For one thing, Czech Republic sculler Ondrej Synek is top of the pile, but Drysdale is also coming back after a 10-month break, followed by an unsatisfactory partial campaign last year. On limited preparation, he failed to get past the quarter-finals at the world champs in South Korea.

So the 35-year-old Aucklander has set about restoring the old order. It won't be easy. Synek has proved an outstanding competitor and Drysdale knows he'll go to Europe next month with a few unknowns rattling around.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"To be honest I am not quite sure where I sit," he said.

"I guess the world cups will be about trying to suss that out, where I am and what I need to do to get back on top."

Drysdale has changed his training regimen too.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Three years ago he introduced bike riding and reduced his on-water training to try to ease disc problems in his back. Now he's tweaked that. The programme is six rows a week, four bike rides, two kayaks and two weight sessions.

Drysdale said while he had enjoyed the riding, he felt he had lost upper body strength. He feels he's getting that back, things are on track, but true racing speed is yet to come.

Over summer, Drysdale was beaten three times by world and Olympic coxless pair rower Hamish Bond as he made his way back. He didn't particularly enjoy the feeling but gives Bond his due and acknowledged the upside of having top class athletes to compete with in his own back yard - "nowhere else in the world has that".

Drysdale loved his 10 months off, but knew it couldn't last.

Discover more

Sport

Rowing: Trading in rat race after the Boat Race

31 May 05:00 PM
Sport

Rowing: RNZ need to find answers

31 May 05:00 PM

"I just had so much fun doing all the things I hadn't been able to do when I was rowing. But it wasn't sustainable.

"If that was my life for the next 10 years there's no way I would want to go back to rowing. But it was false reality and it was not going to continue forever.

"By the end of it I was actually quite pleased to get back to rowing because it meant I was back at home."

Drysdale estimates he had 28 days at home from May 2012 until the following April. It was "nice to knuckle down and get back into it".

Although officially he returned to the squad last June, Drysdale thinks of October 1 as his "real" comeback. It has been a grind, but once back on the water he reckons there's never been a time when he wondered if he'd made the right decision to take time out.

"The last few weeks have been really positive, more than anything recovering between sessions which has taken this whole time since October to get to this point. It gives me a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, which is nice."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Just how much work Drysdale has ahead of him becomes clear when he talks of ambitions for Europe this year.

"If I got to France [the second world cup] and got on the podium I'd be absolutely stoked. You really don't know but if you're on the podium you're right in the ball game."

If not, it all goes into the mixer for Rio.

He reckons Synek is "in a class of his own" in the event. "Everything from No 2 to No 6 is up for grabs.

"That's where my goal is, that I'm back in that class with Synek and we hopefully distance ourselves from the rest of the field."

Drysdale and his wife, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Juliette, are expecting their first child in October. By then the mist surrounding how Drysdale is travelling compared with his rivals will have lifted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Regatta dates
• New zealand will compete at the next two World Cup regattas, in Aiguebelette, France from June 20-22 and Luceme from July 11-13.
• The world championships are in Amsterdam from August 24-31.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Sport

'A nice marlin': Kiwi skipper makes history with $2m fishing triumph

06 Jul 07:33 AM
All Blacks

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

06 Jul 03:00 AM
Warriors

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

'A nice marlin': Kiwi skipper makes history with $2m fishing triumph

'A nice marlin': Kiwi skipper makes history with $2m fishing triumph

06 Jul 07:33 AM

Tom Francis' team caught a 312.6kg marlin, beating 160 global entrants.

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

'They all stepped up': Robertson celebrates debutants but All Blacks eye fixes

06 Jul 03:00 AM
Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

Warriors outclassed by Roosters in NRLW return

06 Jul 02:30 AM
Premium
Gregor Paul: Progress or stalling? All Blacks' key challenge in new season

Gregor Paul: Progress or stalling? All Blacks' key challenge in new season

06 Jul 12:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP