As the sun comes up on the 1st of February, rowers across the South Island will come together to battle it out on the glittering blue water of Lake Ruataniwha. All will be looking to utilise the final racing opportunity to dial-in before the entire country faces off at the National Championships later this month.
The club and premier fours are hotly contested down south, with lightning-fast times and competitive racing a regularity; there is no doubt these men plan to bring the intense competition expected of them this weekend.
Club Men’s Fours
The club men’s four remains a hard to predict event, with crews popping up from all over the South to take home the title of island’s best. The 2024 season saw Cure Boating Club redecorate their clubroom with a full array of gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 2024 National Championships, as well as the silver title from the 2024 South Island Championships. The 2025 season has been the domain of Avon Rowing Club, with first and second podium finishes at both the Canterbury and Otago Championships respectively.
It’s my prediction they’ll take the same positions at the South Island Championships, with exceptionally tight times depending on their crew configurations. Strong performances from both Oamaru Boat Club and Nelson Boat Club this season means our front-runner for bronze is difficult to determine yet again, however the quicker performance from Nelson at the Otago Championships should provide them with the confidence to repeat the effort this weekend.
Premier Men’s Fours
Avon Boat Club yet again dominates this intense field, with a slew of gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 2024 season giving a strong indication of this year’s performance. Thus, the true battle of the weekend will remain an all-Avon affair, as the top fours battle it out to take the gold medal position. Times so far in 2025 have been too close to truly call a champion, but it is my opinion that the four-second separation between first and second at the Canterbury Championships will be too much to win back, and the crew of Allan, Pethers-Boak, Mayne, and Robinson will reign supreme.
The race will be fierce, with the second crew finishing in an exceptionally close second. However, I doubt Avon has the muscle to complete the podium. Rather, the competitive crew from Cure Boating Club will take the final medal, with a repeat performance from the 2024 South Island Championships.
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