Jade Uru: world champion

BY LOGAN SAVORY

They just keep coming we're talking about Southland's success stories on the rowing front.

Yesterday morning, Southland rower Jade Uru added a chapter to what is developing into an remarkable story for the sport in the south.

Uru was crowned a world champion when he teamed up with Simon Watson, Tyson Williams and Hamish Burson to win the world under-23 coxless four title in the Czech Republic.

While he is now based in Cambridge following his rowing dream, it was in Southland where the former James Hargest College pupil was introduced to thesport and made his early developments.

He is just one of many rowers from Southland who have progressed through the Southland ranks on to the world stage recently.

Southland rowing official John O'Connor said the string of successes undoubtedly created a golden era for Southland rowing.

"We must be doing something right," he said yesterday.

O'Connor said the latest world title had added more backbone to the organisation's attempt to grow the sport.

"People see what they have achieved and it shows that it can be done. They went to the same school and club as them and they know that if they put the work they can make it, too," O'Connor said yesterday.

Jade's older brother, Storm, is one of those fellow Southland rowers leading the way.

In 2006 in Belgium, Storm won the lightweight single sculls at the under-23 championships and retained that title the following year.

But what the big brother can do, the little brother can match, as Jade made it three world under-23 titles for the Uru family.

Predictions that the final would be a tight affair were correct.

At the first 500m mark, all six crews remained within a second and a half of each other, with the New Zealand crew in second position.

By the 1000m mark, three crews had broken away and it was New Zealand followed by Canada and Germany. At 1500m, the Kiwi crew's impressive mid-race pace took them out to a one-length lead and from that point on they were untouchable, racing home to another New Zealand victory.

The win didn't just mean another gold for New Zealand, it also booked the young four a trip to the elite world championships in Poland next month.

Rowing New Zealand had laid down the challenge to the crew before the under-23 event. The selectors said if they could win, they would be given a shot at the world championships next month.

Jade's selection means four Southlanders will now attend the biggest rowing regatta in the world next month. The others are Storm, who will partner Peter Taylor in the lightweight double, Nathan Cohen, who will join Matthew Trott in the double scull, and Sarah Barnes, who will attend her first world championship, lining up in the women's quad.

Southland's Louise Ayling also attended the championships at the weekend, finishing second in the B final of the pairs with team-mate Julia Trautvetter.

logan.savory@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News