New Zealand first up to name Olympic rowing team

Both single scullers, Mahe Drysdale and Emma Twigg, retained their spots while the status quo also remained in the men’s pair (Hamish Bond and Eric Murray) and women’s pair (Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown) and men’s double sculls (Joseph Sullivan and Nathan Cohen) and women’s double sculls (Fiona Paterson and Anna Reymer). The women’s quadruple sculls stays the same with Eve Macfarlane, Fiona Bourke, Louise Trappitt and Sarah Gray remaining in the boat. This crew finished third at last year’s World Rowing Championships.

The lightweight men’s double sculls will continue to feature Storm Uru and Peter Taylor. Uru and Taylor raced together in this event at the Beijing Olympics and have gone on to become World Champions in 2009. The lightweight women’s double sculls has changed following selection with under-23 medallist Julia Edward joining Louise Ayling.

Changes have also been made to the men’s quadruple sculls and the men’s four which has the biggest change of all of the crews. Chris Harris and Jade Uru, who raced last year in the four, will be joined by Sean O’Neill and Tyson Williams. O’Neill raced at the Beijing Olympics in the four for Ireland but has since moved to New Zealand while Williams was part of the New Zealand eight in 2011.

The men’s quad has one change from last year’s line-up with Michael Arms replacing Steven Cottle and thus joining Robbie Manson, Matthew Trott and John Storey.

New Zealand Rowing also announced that it will aim to qualify two more boats for London – the men’s eight and the lightweight men’s four. These crews will have to go through the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta to be held in Lucerne, Switzerland at the end of May. There is one qualifying spot remaining in the eight and two in the lightweight four.

If these two crews are successful it will bring New Zealand’s total number of qualified boats to 13 – just one short (women’s eight) of qualifying in all 14 Olympic events. This will be the biggest rowing team New Zealand has ever sent to an Olympic Games. At the Olympics rowing is New Zealand’s second most successful sport.

Full list of crews and coaches for London 2012

Men’s Single Scull
Mahé Drysdale
Coach – Richard Tonks

Women’s Single Sculls
Emma Twigg
Coach – Richard Tonks

Men’s Pair
Eric Murray and Hamish Bond
Coach – Richard Tonks

Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Eve Macfarlane, Fiona Bourke, Louise Trappitt and Sarah Gray
Coach – Richard Tonks

Women’s Pair
Juliette Haigh and Rebecca Scown
Coach – John Robinson

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls
Julia Edward and Louise Ayling
Coach – John Robinson

Men’s Double Sculls
Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan
Coach – Calvin Ferguson

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls
Peter Taylor and Storm Uru
Coach – Calvin Ferguson

Women’s Double Sculls
Fiona Paterson and Anna Reymer
Coach – Gary Hay

Men’s Quadruple Sculls
Robbie Manson, Matthew Trott, Michael Arms and John Storey
Coach – Mike Rodger

Men’s Four
Sean O’Neill, Chris Harris, Jade Uru and Tyson Williams
Coach – Dave Thompson

Crews yet to qualify for the London Olympics

Men’s Lightweight Four
Curtis Rapley, James Lassche, Graham Oberlin-Brown, Duncan Grant
Coach – Dave Thompson

Men’s Eight
Richard Harrison, Hamish Burson, Tobias Wehr-Candler, Adam Tripp, Ian Seymour, Ben Hammond, Fergus Fauvel, David Eade and cox Ivan Pavich
Coach – Ian Wright

Non-Travelling Reserves: Genevieve Armstrong, Zoe Stevenson, Steve Cottle, David Mabbott, James Dallinger