Four Beijing Olympians will be among a high-class field of seven rowers who will duel on the Whanganui River on Friday for one spot in Sunday's Billy Webb Centennial Challenge race.
The main drawcards in the 5km challenge are double Olympic champion single sculler Olaf Tufte of Norwayand New Zealand's three-time world champion Mahe Drysdale, who won bronze in Beijing.
The field will consist of three and the wildcard place will be decided in what should be a hotly contested shootout of rowers, who are all either current or former world champions.
Hamish Bond will represent the 2007 world champion coxless four, who just failed to make the final in Beijing.
Peter Taylor and Storm Uru, who won a lightweight double place at Beijing by winning the final qualifying regatta, will also line up.
Double world lightweight single scull champion Duncan Grant is in the field, along with the two gold medallists from this year's world under-23 championships, Joseph Sullivan and his lightweight counterpart Graham Oberlin-Brown.
The field is rounded out by double sculling Olympian Nathan Cohen.
The event is marking the centenary of Webb retaining his world sculling title on the Whanganui River.
