Rowing quartet on top of world

Headed by Picton's Joseph Sullivan, Marlborough rowing was on top of the world today after New Zealand's most successful world under-23 championships regatta in the Czech Republic overnight.

Sullivan picked up his third successive world title, taking out the double sculls title in tandem with Wairau's Robbie Manson at the course in Racice. Wairau's Ian Seymour rowed in the coxed four which won gold. Wairau's Mark Stallard was coach.

Wairau's Hamish Burson completed a proud day for the Marlborough-based club by winning gold as part of the coxless four.

Sullivan's win came after he had taken out the world single scull titles in 2007 and 2008 he and Manson being in their first year together.

The duo had looked strong throughout the heats but the German crew of Hans Gruhne and Clemens Wenzel went into the final as favourites, having posted faster times. Locked together through the 1000m mark, New Zealand poured on the power over the second 1000m to win going away by 4sec from Germany.

A delighted Sullivan said afterwards: "We didn't start as fast as we wanted and the others were still with us. At 1000m Robbie made a call and we got a length advantage."

Manson added: "It is my first time with the team and it is great to win. We trained with the A team (elite crews) and that gave us a lot of confidence."

Manson's proud mum, Kaye Surgenor, a coach of the Marlborough Girls' College rowing crews, said her son was thrilled and had told her he and Sullivan had given it their all in the final and had nothing left in the tank by the time they crossed the finish line.

The gold medal capped a great month for the Manson brothers. Robbie's younger brother, Karl, won a bronze medal with the New Zealand eight at the Youth Cup regatta in Sydney a fortnight ago.

For coach Stallard, head coach at the Central Region Performance Centre at Wairau, it was his second world under-23 title.

New Zealand's coxed four started conservatively and were second going through 500m but gradually took control, surging clear over the final few hundred metres to win by a boat-length.

The coxless four rowed a similar race but had to fend off a fast-finishing United States crew to win by half a boat-length.

The coxless four comprised Burson, Jade Uru, Simon Watson and Tyson Williams, while the Stallard-coached coxed four, which beat Italy for the gold, was Seymour, John Storey, Wehr Candler, David Eade and coxswain Matthew Cameron.

Wairau Rowing Club president and Rowing New Zealand board deputy chairman Ivan Sutherland was thrilled with the success.

"It's our best result ever. Three firsts, a third and a fourth. It's fantastic, superb. Being on the Rowing New Zealand board, it's nice to know the programme is working. The new high-performance centre at Lake Karapiro is paying amazing dividends."

Sutherland said he was delighted for the Marlborough rowers involved and for coach Stallard.

Former Blenheim Rowing Club oarsman Robby Gurhardt won gold for Germany in the lightweight four.

- The Marlborough Express