A young gun of world rowing had too much in the tank for Emma Twigg, as the Olympic single sculls champion had to settle for silver in her final at the world rowing championships.
The 35-year-old from Hawke's Bay was beaten by 24-year-old Karolien Florijn of the Netherlands in the final on Monday morning (NZ time) in Racice, Czech Republic.
It capped an unbeaten year for Florijn – her first in the senior single scull class – after she also triumphed at two World Cup regattas and the recent European Championships.
Twigg claimed gold at the Tokyo Olympics but hasn't had as much time on the water this season because of Covid-19 and other commitments.
In fact, Twigg, a veteran of the sport, was racing just her third race of the season and immediately had to deal with the fast-starting, row-from-the-front race plan of Florijn.