Tinga first of Kiwi team to make A finals

After a very solid start to the New Zealand campaign at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, the remaining crews in the Kiwi team made their first appearances at the regatta today.

Continuing the good results, adaptive single sculler Robin Tinga won his heat and became the first member of the team to qualify for an A final. Tinga carved out a lead of several seconds over Spaniard Juan Pablo Alonso in the first 500 metres of the 1,000 metre race and continued to build on this in the second half. He will face tough opposition in the final with a group of scullers headed by Britain's Tom Aggar all clocking faster times in the first heat. Tinga is improving all of the time, however, and will be up for the challenge.

Storm Uru and Peter Taylor were the next up in their lightweight men's double and once again, it was the black blades that set the pace, racing off to an early lead that was never surrendered. The Greek double - a potential threat - stayed within a couple of lengths throughout.

The men's lightweight four of James Lassche, Graham Oberlin Brown, Todd Petherick and Richard Beaumont were in the thick of the action in their heat for 1400 metres. Duelling with Olympic champions Denmark and fast starting Japan for the direct route to the semi final via first or second, the crew also had to contend with Canada in hot pursuit. Denmark and Japan were ultimately able to whittle out a small lead and take the top two spots, forcing the Kiwis into the repechage, but they raced well and have clearly improved their pace since Lucerne.

Last on the water for New Zealand was the new women's quadruple scull of Genevieve Armstrong, Sarah Barnes, Louise Trappit and Harriet Austin. The crew won bronze medals in Munich and Lucerne but the Poznan campaign didn't get off to a great start with the crew unable to make an impact on heat rivals Italy, USA and Russia and gradually falling further away. They will be looking for a much better result in the repechage.

Results