Bronze for NZ in women's pairs

BRONZED: Last season's Wanganui Junior International Sportsperson of the Year and Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club member, Kerri Gowler, lifted spirits at her flood-hit club sheds after winning bronze in the women's pairs at the World Cup in Italy on Sunday.PHOTO/FILE

KERRI Gowler and Grace Prendergast's bronze medal in the pairs at the World Cup in Italy on Sunday lifted the spirits of the flood-hit Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club - but only briefly.

Gowler remains a member of the club and still wears their colours during high performance regattas. However, on Sunday, she and rowing buddy Prendergast were in the New Zealand strip, finishing a close third to the senior world and Olympic champion combination of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning from Great Britain.

Silver medallists at the 2014 world championships, Megan Kalmoe and Kerry Simmonds from the USA, snatched second.

Gowler would have been oblivious her clubmates back home were reeling from the flood waters that invaded the Aramoho shed on Sunday night.

AWRC head coach Ian Weenink said he watched coverage of the World Cup rowing on Sunday night and was definitely buoyed by Gowler and Prendergast's bronze.

"I watched it unfold in Italy and my spirits were lifted just like everyone else in the club I guess - but we were all brought back down to earth when we returned to the clubhouse and the mess the flood has made," Weenink said yesterday.

"But hey, it was a great effort by Kerri and Grace because they would have been suffering jetlag, having just flown in from New Zealand.

"They probably have now qualified that boat for the Olympics. There are three World Cup regattas to qualify and this was World Cup 2. The next one is in about three weeks' time, in early July.

"Qualifying the boat doesn't necessarily mean they will crew it at the Olympics.

"Both Kerri and Grace will need to be right in-form in the lead up to the Olympics next year."

In the semi-finals of the women's pair, 2014 under-23 world champions Gowler and Prendergast took on senior world and Olympic champions Glover and Stanning and the Americans Kalmoe and Simmonds.

Those were the three crews again leading the field in the final in Italy on Sunday.

The British took early command of the race, but the New Zealanders were pushing them through the first 1000m sitting in second position.

This was the most pressured the British crew have been for a number of years, however they remained cool holding onto the gold in a time of 6:53.67, with USA sprinting for silver in 6:55.33 and the New Zealanders rounded out the podium for the bronze in 6:58.06.