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The time has finally come for the biggest event in New Zealand club rowing. This year, over 60 events took place on the picturesque waters of Lake Karāpiro across Novice, Intermediate, Club, Senior and Premier categories. One of the biggest and most exciting, the senior events were a showcase of talent and dedication from athletes and coaches, producing some of the best racing.
Senior Singles – Olly Stephens, Nelson Rowing Club & Sophie Egnot-Johnson, Waikato Rowing Club
With the majority of the scullers staying relatively close, Olly Stephens from Nelson Rowing Club stood out ahead of the pack as the men’s race passed the half-way point. With scullers from Dunstan Arms Rowing Club, Waikato Rowing Club and Hamilton Rowing Club behind him, Stephens held a strong lead throughout the race, ultimately finishing just over a length ahead of Dunstan Arms’ Marley King-Smith in second, following by his teammate Angus Kenny in third position.
A closer race would follow for the women with West End Rowing Club’s Holly Chaafe and Waikato’s Sophie Egnot-Johnson battling for the top spot, followed closely by Star Boat Club’s Mackenzie Tuffin, North Shore Rowing Club’s Cassidy Luff and Cure Boat Club’s Abbey Jenkins-McCaw. The latter stages saw our top three pull away from the field with Egnot-Johnson taking gold, Chaafe in silver, and Tuffin with bronze.
Double Sculls – Dunstan Arm Rowing Club
A pair who would turn out to be key contributors to Dunstan Arm’s medal haul this week, Henry Clatworthy and Marley King-Smith set the tone for their finals with an impressive winning performance whilst a fierce fight for silver saw Dunstan Arm B-crew Hamish Yeatman and Mathew King cross the line a mere half a second ahead of Ryan Gass and Jack MacDonald from Auckland Rowing Club in a nail-biting pursuit to the line.
Continuing the sculling successes, both Freddy Todhunter and Elsie Talbot along with teammates Stina Steffen and Olivia Key also secured medals for Dunstan Arm. Overlapping for almost the entire race, it was only in the final 250m that A-crew Todhunter and Talbot were able to push a length up on their teammates to secure their gold.
Coxless Pairs – Avon Rowing Club
An incredible start from Matthew Glen and Sam Woodgate from Avon Rowing Club saw them secure a early lead in the men’s race, which they’d extend as the race continued; with their only challenge appearing to be from teammates Cody Johnson and Josh Syme who spent most of the race in second-position until the final 250m. A well-timed lift from Waikato’s Dylan McConnell and Zach Brownlee saw them push away from their battle for third with Cure RC and the other Avon crew, to steal the silver in the final few strokes.
Continuing on the success of their teammates, Phoebe Collier and Jemma Burrowes from Avon also secured an impressive early lead in the women’s final, establishing clear water between themselves and second-place contenders Waikato, Avon and West End, before they’d reached the half-way marker. Whilst these three crews remained close for most of the race, it would be Tessa White-Parsons and Jenna-Lee Markgraaff from Waikato who would go on to take home the silver, with less than half a length lead over Avon’s Arlia O’Sullivan and Katie Bell who took the bronze.
Coxless Quadruple Sculls – Dunstan Arm Rowing Club & Waikato Rowing Club
There were no chances taken by the crew from Dunstan Arm in the men’s quadruple sculls final, who drew out to a clear-water advantage over the rest of the field as they passed the 500m marker. Building on this margin with each stroke, Dunstan Arm left crews from Hamilton, Waikato and Dunstan Arm in a close battle for second position for most of the remaining race, with the rest of the pack not far behind them. A surprise last minute effort from Cure BC in the final 250m saw them row through Waikato to steal the silver, leaving them to accept the bronze ahead of Wairau Rowing Club and Dunstan Arm.
In the women’s race, a strong start from Waikato saw them creep out in front of the group during the first quarter of the race, with Dunstan Arm sitting just behind whilst Avon and Aramoho Whanganui Boat Club contested the bronze medal. This order remained largely unchanged throughout the race, with the final stages seeing Aramoho hold out over Avon to gain around a length advantage before they crossed the line to take bronze behind Dunstan Arm and Waikato securing silver and gold, respectively.
Coxless Fours – Avon Rowing Club
An exciting men’s race saw Avon dominate the field with their A and B crews leading the pack, whilst remaining neck-and-neck, an unmissable red fleet storming down the course. In a great day for coaches David Lindstrom and Sophie Strachan, it would ultimately be a red-and-white podium with Avon securing all three medals in the event; their B-crew featuring Fred Vavasour, Henry Kirk, Cody Johnson and Sam Wilson stealing the top spot, with their A- then C- crews following suit .
A similar story in the women’s race saw another triple-medal haul for Avon with A-crew featuring Jemma Burrowes, Phoebe Collier, Hannah Matehaere, and Manaia Butler finishing the race with a two length lead over their B-crew teammates, and their C-crew claiming third just ahead of Waikato.
Coxed Eights – Avon Rowing Club
Yet again highlighting their sweeping supremacy, Avon secured a comfortable gold medal in the men’s coxed eight alongside a well-earned silver after working hard to hold off crews from North Shore and West End. A similar story in the women’s final saw Avon secure yet another gold, crossing the line with clear water ahead of Waikato and the crew from North Shore, whose impressive row saw them hold off the B-crew from Avon down to the line to steal their bronze.
Livestream footage of New Zealand Rowing Championships 2024 is available at https://rowinghub.co.nz/livestream/
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