Editorial: Unique race has potential to grow

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

It had the lustre of Olympic gold; it had the TV cameras; it had the action on the big screen ...

It had a sizeable crowd on the river bank, the sunshine, and it had the challenge of the tricks, twists and turns of the Whanganui River.

Sunday's Billy Webb Challenge was a great event - a re-match of the closest finish in Olympic rowing history and a showcase for Whanganui on the 6pm TV news and across the world via livestreamed coverage.

It didn't matter that New Zealand's Olympic champ Mahe Drysdale was not in the best shape of his life and could only finish fifth, or that the man he beat by a coat of paint in that epic single sculls final in Rio, Croatia's Damir Martin, could only manage third.

This was a wonderful Whanganui occasion and, arguably, the best Billy Webb Challenge yet.

It is a unique event in a sport whose global popularity is growing - a five-kilometre there-and-back with the rowers battling to cope with an upriver first half against current and wind.

And that the start and finish line are one and the same, and that the knowledgeable commentary from the team at The Hits radio station is broadcast to the crowd as they watch the drama unfold on the screen all add to the appeal.

The thought is: How big could this event become?

Another thought is: Does the Wanganui Rowing Association, which staged it magnificently well, want it to grow?

Certainly there is plenty of potential for such a special regatta when we see Croatian flags and shirts on the riverbank and know that Tim Ole Neske's victory was watched back in his native Germany.

The Billy Webb does not have a principal sponsor but it is an event that any sponsor worth their salt would love to be associated with.

Looking forward to next year ...