Rowing: Athens beckons for golden girls

By JULIE ASH

"Don't trust anyone," were coach Richard Tonks' last words to Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell before their world championship double sculls final.

And they heeded that advice.

First out of the blocks in Milan, the defending world champions and world record holders led from go to whoa, blitzing main rivals Germany and Russia and setting themselves up as gold-medal favourites at next year's Olympic Games.

"We went out there expecting anyone to attack and try and take the lead," Caroline told the Herald yesterday. "We got a good start and had a bit of a tussle with Germany, but managed to hold them off."

Their winning time of 6m 45.8s was 1.8s faster than the fancied German crew of Britta Oppelt and eight-time world champion and three-time Olympian Kathrin Boron, while Russia's Larisa Merk and Irina Fedotova finished a further 1.9s back.

"To go out there last year and win for the first time and set the world record was awesome, but a lot of people sort of hinted it was a softer event because the defending champions and the Olympic champions weren't there," Caroline said.

"So to have Kathrin Boron back, who has been winning for the last 10 years, and to race her at these world championships and to beat her is just a wicked feeling. It was a really tough race, but really satisfying."

The world championship medal is the twins' third in the double sculls.

They finished second in 2001 behind the German pair of Boron and Kerstin Kowalski and won last year's event, which Boron sat out after the birth of her child.

"Now it's all over we can smile at them," Caroline said in regard to their German rivals. "We have been trying to stare them out, dodge them and walk tall past them ... They are really nice girls but I guess that won't last for long.

"We will now go back and think about them when we are training and they'll motivate us to train harder over the next 12 months. But for this day, I guess, we are friends."

But along with their success, the Evers-Swindells also experienced the bitter taste of defeat during the event.

Needing to finish first in the B final to secure an Olympic spot in the quadruple sculls, the twins and team-mates Jo Byrne and Paula Twining could manage only a disappointing sixth.

"This time yesterday I was in tears," Caroline said. "It was really frustrating. We came here wanting to qualify two boats for the Olympics and we so wanted to get that quad there and we failed. It is a gutting feeling when you give everything and you are just not fast enough."

Joining the Evers-Swindells in qualifying New Zealand a spot in their event in next year's Olympics were single sculler Sonia Waddell, the men's pair of Rob Hellstrom and Nathan Twaddle and the men's coxless four of Donald Leach, Mahe Drysdale, Ian Smallman and Carl Meyer.

All of whom, like the Evers-Swindells, are looking forward to spending a bit of time on dry land.

"We are coming home in about a week, then I think we may have a little bit of a rest from rowing ... for maybe a couple of weeks," Caroline said.

"But we haven't spoken with [coach] Richard about that yet."

Athens standings

How New Zealand's results sit with Olympic Games qualifying:

Women's double sculls: Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell - 1st in A final, Olympic qualification.

Women's single sculls: Sonia Waddell - 1st in B final, Olympic qualification.

Men's coxless pair: Rob Hellstrom and Nathan Twaddle - 1st in B final, Olympic qualification.

Men's coxless four: Donald Leach, Mahe Drysdale, Ian Smallman, Carl Meyer - 5th in B final, Olympic qualification.

Women's quadruple sculls: Caroline Evers-Swindell, Georgina Evers-Swindell, Jo Byrne and Paula Twining - 6th in B final, missed Olympic qualification.

Men's lightweight double sculls: Duncan Grant and Nathan - 3rd in C final, missed Olympic qualification.

Women's coxless pair: Kate Robinson and Jackie Abraham - 1st in C final, missed Olympic qualification.

Women's development coxless four: Melanie Burke, Roslyn Papa, Nicola Cooney and Maree Kaati, 5th, non-Olympic event.

Men's development coxed four: Grant Carrol, Gary Roberts, George Bridgewater and Eric Murray - raced overnight (non-Olympic event).