Waddell to be guest speaker

Sydney Olympic single scull rowing gold medallist Rob Waddell hasn't ruled out a crack at the London Olympics in 2012 and would be happy to again partner Southland's Nathan Cohen.

Waddell, three-time winner of the Supreme Halberg Award, will be the key-note speaker at the Westpac Halberg Celebrity Sporting Function in Invercargill this month.

Waddell admitted being disappointed with the result in Beijing, where the pair finished fourth in the double scull.

"We thought we were a medal hopeful, it just didn't happen on the day," he said. "We feel we were better than fourth. If it was the next day, it may very well have been a different story. But no excuses, the others were sculling very well and although frustrating, we've just got to take it on the chin." Waddell said he enjoyed rowing as part of a double and having Cohen to train with.

"We were able to motivate each other and make sure we were getting out there everyday — it's very different to single sculls where it's just you," he said.

Although Waddell has no confirmed plans, he hadn't ruled out continuing with rowing and aiming for the London Olympics. He was also open to returning as a grinder for Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland in February.

Waddell was looking forward to sharing more about his recent experience in Beijing and his partnership with Cohen this year at the Westpac Halberg Celebrity Sporting Function at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill on Thursday.

The Invercargill luncheon, with New Zealand Olympic Chef de Mission Dave Currie as the MC, is the sixth of 11 Westpac Celebrity Sporting Functions around the country planned by the Halberg Trust. Other centres hosting Celebrity Sporting Functions include Queenstown (on Friday), Hamilton (November 12), Wellington (November 14), Tauranga (November 26) and Christchurch (December 5).

All funds raised at the luncheon will support the work of the Halberg Trust in linking young people with a disability to sport and active leisure in the Southland region. Tickets to the luncheon are available at $85 each.

- © Fairfax NZ News