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ROWING

Sensational Grant retains world title

Monday 28 July 2008, 10:03AM

By Rowing New Zealand

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Grant fending off the late race challenge by Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands
Grant fending off the late race challenge by Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands Credit: Rowing New Zealand
Duncan Grant � lightweight single sculls world champion for the second year in a row
Duncan Grant  lightweight single sculls world champion for the second year in a row Credit: Rowing New Zealand

The awesome Duncan Grant put pre-season injury and illness behind him with a stunning defence of his world lightweight single sculls title in Linz, Austria, yesterday.

Grant, who had not beaten the Netherlands' Jaap Schouten of the Netherlands so far this season, kept his best until last and held off his rival to win in a race so tough that one competitor quit before the finish line.

Grant and Schouten have been going head to head all season and in the semi finals Grant looked to have the measure of his Dutch rival - but Schouten came through to win.

The final though, was a different story. After Grant false started - an indication the champion was very eager indeed to get on with it - he jumped out into the lead followed by Olympic medallist Lorenzo Bertini of Italy with Schouten back in fifth.

Going through the middle of the race, Grant, Bertini and Shadi Naghadeh of Iran were all in medal spots with a gap back to Schouten, now in fourth. Then going through the third 500, around the 1200m mark, Schouten began to move.
Schouten overtook Iran, then Italy and went after Grant. Grant was waiting for him.

The sprint to the line was on with Greece’s Ilias Pappas joining in. With every stroke Schouten gained on Grant. But Grant held on. At the line Duncan had defended his title, just. Schouten took silver and a massive sprint by Pappas gave him bronze with a shattered Bertini stopping just before the line. The margin of victory was immaterial - New Zealand had its fourth world champion of the season and its first elite winner of 2008.

"It's just a great feeling," explained Grant. "As I had a back injury I was struggling. Some months ago when we arrived in Europe I started to prepare for this big day and now it's just an amazing moment.”