KEY POINTS:
World rowing's official website called it "perhaps the most impressive comeback ever in rowing".
Rowing New Zealand bosses don't disagree, but equally aren't dancing cartwheels over Rob Waddell's remarkable return to the sport's international stage at last weekend's World Cup regatta in Lucerne.
They had half
expected it after Waddell and stroke Nathan Cohen won the double scull title on Lake Rotsee. Their times were impressive at Lake Karapiro before the squad headed to Europe and, once they turned on a powerful third-quarter surge to ease past the pacesetting British pair, they had enough in the tank to win by 1.76 seconds.
Waddell has been out of the water for seven years since winning Olympic single sculling gold in Sydney in 2000. He has been grinding away on Team New Zealand during the last two America's Cups. But the lure of Beijing drew him back.
Having missed the single scull seat to three-time world champion Mahe Drysdale, Waddell teamed up with Cohen - who had qualified the boat with Matthew Trott last year - and the effect has been immediate.
"We knew that double was definitely going reasonably quick back home, so we knew they were in the game," RNZ high performance boss Andrew Matheson told the Herald from Lucerne last night.
"We expected them to be really competitive in the final, but they certainly achieved a lot over the weekend."
Part of the reason the champagne is being kept on ice is the knowledge that it's just one step, albeit a sizeable one, but also the last two world champions, Slovenia and France, are just settling into their Olympic buildup.
"So we won't get too far ahead of ourselves on this one," Matheson said.
The third cup regatta in Poznan, Poland, from June 20-22, will present a clearer picture across the board on where New Zealand's crews sit.
The regatta produced three silvers - to coxless pair Nathan Twaddle and George Bridgewater, in a fast-finishing performance behind Canada, Drysdale, in a thrilling joust with Czech Republic's Ondrej Synek, and lightweight men's double scullers Storm Uru and Peter Taylor.
Theirs was a notable effort as they only made the C final in the first cup regatta at Munich last month.
They pushed Britain all the way, coming in 1.31s behind them in an immensely encouraging display.
They are one of three New Zealand crews aiming to qualify for Beijing at Poznan from June 15-18, and Sunday's form suggests they are a strong chance to make it. To qualify, crews must finish in the top two at the regatta.
The others chasing late spots are the women's eight, who face a tough job with several faster crews also trying to qualify, and the lightweight women's double scullers Candice Hammond and Louise Ayling, who were third in the B final at Lucerne.
But most of those who were faster have already qualified, meaning they are firmly in the hunt.