Peter Taylor and partner Storm Uru took bronze in the boat at the Lake Karapiro world championships in November after winning the title the previous year in Poland. At this stage, they are favourites for a medal of some description at London.
However, no position in the New Zealand rowing
team is secure without some form of trial; the best example being 2000 Olympic gold medallist Rob Waddell racing incumbent world champion Mahe Drysdale for the single sculls spot ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games.
Taylor has some stiff opposition as New Zealand elite squad members gear up for the February 15-19 national championships at Lake Ruataniwha. He and Uru will be challenged by last year's non-Olympic lightweight pair silver medallists Graham Oberlin-Brown and James Lassche as well as three-time lightweight single sculls world champion Duncan Grant. Grant only managed to win the B final in his event last year.
The five - and possibly others - are likely to trial in the double sculls boat a week or so after the nationals.
"I broke my cheekbone falling off my bike just before Christmas," Taylor says. "Then I found out I had the stress fracture in my rib which compounded my problems."
Taylor has kept his fitness up in the meantime on a stationary bike. He is focusing on being ready for the trials more than the national championships at this stage and got back into a boat for the first time this weekend since his accident.
One of the hardest parts off the water for Taylor is maintaining discipline in his diet. The combined weight of athletes in a lightweight double sculls boat has to be 140kg or less.
"I'm not generating the same output or burning the same calories, so it means cutting back. There's no chocolate pudding at the moment, put it that way."
Regardless of personnel, New Zealand is expected to gain Olympic qualification for the boat at the world championships this year in Slovenia. The boat must finish 5th or better in the B final - the equivalent of 11th overall to gain automatic entry before further crew trials next year.
