Rowing: Waddell opens NZ games with second placing

6.50pm - UPDATE

ATHENS - Rower Sonia Waddell finished second in her women's single sculls heat to open New Zealand's involvement in the Olympic Games today.

Waddell was beaten home by Czech Republic sculler Mirka Knapkova in warm, still conditions at the Schinias course, meaning she will have to row the repechage race on Monday.

Knapkova earns automatic entry to Wednesday's semifinals.

Waddell, the first New Zealander to compete in any sport at Athens, held a slight advantage over Knapkova through the 500m and 1000m marks. However, the Czech made her move after the halfway point, pulling 2.59sec ahead and pulling away to win easily in seven minutes 25.21 seconds. Waddell was second in 7min 36.10sec, with a further 22sec back to the other four rowers.

Waddell's heat was easily the fastest and most competitive of the day, the other three heats being won in times at least 10sec slower by rowers who were unchallenged.

Those winners were the three gold medal favourites in this event, German Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, Belarussian Ekaterina Karsten and Bulgarian Rumyana Neykova.

Waddell's time was the fourth fastest today behind Knapkova, Neykova and Rutschow-Stomporowski, which will give her confidence ahead of Monday's four repechages. From those races, eight scullers will advance to the semifinals.

Waddell is the wife of New Zealand's only gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, men's single sculler Rob Waddell.

All five New Zealand crews at the Games were scheduled for action tonight, including gold medal favourites in the women's double sculls, Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell.

The others are the women's pair of Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh; the men's pair of Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater; and the men's four of Donald Leach, Mahe Drysdale, Carl Meyer and Eric Murray.

- NZPA