New Zealand rowers Hamish Bond, left, and Eric Murray. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand's rowers have claimed a golden double and two world best times in non-Olympic classes at the world championships in Amsterdam.
The women's four of Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Kelsey Bevan and Kayla Pratt and the men's coxed pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and coxswain Caleb Shepherd
triumphed while four other crews advanced to finals.
Fast water on the Bosbaan helped the women's four beat the eight-year-old world best time by more than 10 seconds in 6:14.36. They won by more than six seconds.
The coxed pair beat the 20-year-old world best time by nearly nine seconds, clocking 6m 33.26. It is the second world best time held by Murray and Bond after they claimed the mark in the coxless pair at the London Olympics.
"The conditions were phenomenal today and allowed us to row to our potential," Murray said.
"Until this regatta we'd never been in [a coxed pair]. We'd heard rumours about them being a 'water taxi' or a 'lead sled' because you carry a coxswain down the course, but we found it's not too dissimilar to what we do in the [coxless] pair.
"[Coxswain] Caleb [Shepherd] has taken the men's under-23 eight to two world titles so he's got calibre and pedigree and listened to our philosophy.
