Room for dynamic duo in Beijing (+pics)

IAIN McGREGOR/Waikato Times

WINNING SMILE: Rob Waddell is all smiles after winning the K1 regatta.

IAIN McGREGOR/Waikato Times

MAKING A SPLASH: Rob Waddell powers towards a win over world champion Mahe Drysdale.

IAIN McGREGOR/Waikato Times

IAIN McGREGOR/Waikato Times

IAIN McGREGOR/Waikato Times

HAVE BOAT WILL PADDLE: World champion Mahe Drysdale has many interested followers as he heads towards a showdown with former Olympic champion Rob Waddell.

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How do you fit two of the world's best rowers into a single scull? You can't, but rowing fans can rest easy, there will be room in the New Zealand Olympic team next year for both Rob Waddell and Mahe Drysdale.

Only one man can represent New Zealand in the single sculls in Beijing, and Waddell surged into contention yesterday with a comfortable win over three-time world champion Drysdale during the KRI1 regatta at Lake Karapiro.

But Rowing New Zealand high performance manager Andrew Matheson was quick to reject any suggestion either would be land locked next March. "You look at the likes of the single sculls, there's only one berth there, but there's other boats that have qualified where there are other opportunities," he said.

"We have got the likes of the double sculls qualified so maybe one of them will try to push their way into one of those boats - and there are other options on the table.

"It's a case of first the athletes have to prove their worth, then for the selectors to utilise the talent."

Seven New Zealand boats have qualified for Beijing, but will have the chance to grab further spots at the final qualifying event in Lucerne next June.

New Zealand would "likely" send three crews to Lucerne, possibly in the lightweight men's sculls, a women's eight and another "unspecified" men's boat.

The latter could be a men's quad containing either Waddell or Drysdale.

Matheson was doing his best to downplay that scenario, but the option gained credibility yesterday with the pair teaming up with Nathan Cohen and Matthew Trott.

"It's about getting some variety and some hard racing in a slightly different context so I would not read too much into that," Matheson said.

"It was our top singles scullers all together in a quad. They went well. They ended up third in the race so it was a nice hit out ... but it's a bit of a red herring."

Regardless, Matheson said the battle for the single sculls berth would provide a boost to the sport in the months leading up to the national trials in March.

"It's an interesting scenario when you have two people of such immense quality going out and racing, so from a sport lover's perspective you can see why it's attracted so much interest.

"It injected some real enthusiasm into the regatta and highlighted the talent we have got."

Matheson said Waddell's win should not be taken as a sign he was in the box seat in his battle with Drysdale.

"It's shown that Rob's making some good progress, but it would be silly to read too much more into it than that. All the crews and athletes are basically working on base training at the moment."

None of the New Zealand team was near peak fitness, but Matheson said even early results would influence training over the next phase.

"Like any race, pride is an important thing. That's why people race because they are competitive people ... They will all take their own little bits out of how they raced."

- © Fairfax NZ News