The men's coxless pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray were dominant in their semi final, as expected, heading off Serbia and Italy with clear water. They also progress to the A final and secure Olympic qualification in the process.
The women's lightweight double of Julia Edward and Sophie Mackenzie pushed into the lead in the first quarter and successfully held their position winning their semi final.
Julia Edward said they were prepared for a battle:
"We knew it was going to be a really tough race, everyone wants to be in the final especially with Olympic qualification on the line so we were really prepared for it to be a close race. It's a very competitive class, being an Olympic event, so we've ticked the first box with qualification and now we want to take it out.
"It's really exciting that the boat's through to the Olympics. We have a great combination and we want it to continue so we really need to let our performance speak for itself and indicate to the selectors that we want to be there next year in Rio."
The men's quad went agonisingly close to gaining a spot in the A final but will head to the B final with their fourth place finish. In one of the tightest races of the day, the men's quad were in a fierce battle in the final 250 metres with Estonia, Great Britain and Canada with placings coming down to the surge of the bows as they crossed the line.
Men's double Robbie Manson and Chris Harris looked strong as they went on to win their quarterfinal ahead of Germany and Bulgaria and book their spot in the semi finals.
Adam Ling again showed his form powering ahead of the leading British sculler in the middle stages of the race but the pressure was on at the finish with three scullers crossing the line all in a row and with only the tiniest of margins separating the top three. Adam finished a close third but will safely progress to Friday's A final.
Zoe McBride has been in winning form all year and today was no different as she sat out in front in her semi final of the lightweight women's single. Zoe breezed through to win and claim her spot in the A final on Friday.
C/D semi final results saw the women's single finish first, men's lightweight double first and the men's four second ensuring they all race in C finals.
Friday racing kicks off with A/B semi finals (men's and women's doubles, men's lightweight four and men's single) at 8:23pm NZST followed by medal finals for the men's and women's lightweight singles at 10:35pm NZST.
