Veterans stand in way of NZ rowing medals

4.00pm - By DANIEL GILHOOLY

ATHENS - The Evers-Swindell sisters are in a class of their own but a raft of veteran crews stand in the way of other New Zealand rowers winning Olympic medals in Saturday's finals session.

The men's pair of Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater and the men's four must both overcome some of the sport's contemporary greats to collect gold, although form suggests other medals are within New Zealand's range.

Accomplished Australian pair James Tomkins and Drew Ginn are fastest qualifiers and look a strong chance to add to the Olympic golds they secured in the 1990s with a coxless four dubbed the "oarsome foursome", such was their dominance.

Tomkins, 39 on Thursday, is attending his fifth Olympics and chasing a third gold.

Twaddle, who turns 28 on Saturday, is happy to call the Australian a legend.

Bridgewater, competing in his first major international regatta, was trying to put the status of his opponents and the magnitude of the occasion out of his mind.

"I'm trying not to think about how big it is, too much," he said.

"I'll definitely get nerves, I think everyone does, but hopefully not too much.

"It's exciting, I'm looking forward to it."

Tomkins and Ginn have not raced internationally since victory at last year's world championships, conserving their eneregy for the Olympic campaign.

Twaddle and Bridgewater garnered confidence from finishing within two seconds of Australia in their semifinal and can feel good about contenders Italy, Great Britain and Canada all failing to advance.

However, Croatia and South Africa were second and third respectively at the world championships and may be the crews New Zealand contend with for medals in one of the most anticipated finals of the regatta.

The four of Donald Leach, Mahe Drysdale, Carl Meyer and Eric Murray face a mammoth task to beat defending champions Great Britain, who have Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell back from the winning Games crew of 2000.

Missing is Olympic legend Steve Redgrave although Pinsent is edging towards his former crewmate's record of five gold medals -- chasing his fourth on Saturday.

World champions Canada loom as the other strong chance, with New Zealand, Australia and Italy likely to battle for bronze.

New Zealand's Sonia Waddell may not have the power to match three women who have dominated single sculling in recent years.

Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus has won the last two Olympic gold medals, Bulgarian Rumyana Neykova has claimed the last two world championship titles and German Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski was unstoppable in the two World Cup races this year.

It sets up a fascinating medal showdown which the improving Waddell may struggle to be part of.

The New Zealand women's pair of Nicky Coles and Juliette Haigh may also have their work cut out.

Romania are clear favourites, boasting double Olympic champions Georgeta Damian and Viorica Susanu, while Belarus and Great Britain also have far more international prowess than the New Zealanders.

Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell were denied the chance to row against an Olympic great when German Kathrin Boron was hurriedly switched from the double sculls to quads.

Chasing a fourth gold at her fourth Games, even Boron has struggled to beat the New Zealand twins in recent years.

Second-choice Germans Peggy Waleska and Britta Oppelt are the only feasible challengers although the Evers-Swindells' coach Dick Tonks was wary of Bulgaria.

Their crew were quickest in the repechages and Tonks noticed their powerful start both there and in the heats. They tailed off noticeably in the final 500m of both races and Tonks wondered if they might be holding something back.

- NZPA