Rowing: More NZ crews book finals spots

Six New Zealand crews have qualified for finals at Lake Karapiro. Photo / Getty Images

Three more New Zealand crews qualified for finals at the World Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro today.

Defending lightweight men's double sculls champions Storm Uru and Peter Taylor finished second behind Great Britain duo Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter in their semifinal to book a final spot.

Women's pair Lucy Strack and Julia Edward also earned a finals spot, finishing third in their repechage. The pair looked unlikely to qualify after slipping to fourth with 500m to go in the race but edged past an American pair in the closing stages.

The third New Zealand crew to qualify for a final today was the women's quadruple scull team of Sarah Gray, Fiona Bourke, Genevieve Armstrong and Linda Matthews. The foursome finished second behind Australia after holding off a late surge by the crew from China.

Seven New Zealand crews have now qualified for finals and will race off for medals.

Women's double sculls crew Emma-Jane Feathery and Fiona Paterson missed out on place in the A final after finishing third in their repechage. They will be the fastest ranked team in the B final.

The men's quadruple sculls crew of John Storey, Matthew Trott, Robert Manson and Nathan Twaddle also fell short of a spot in the A final with a third placing in their repechage.

- Herald online