Waddell, Drysdale in clash of the gladiators

Mahe Drysdale was evidently clutching at straws in his belief that his great sculling rival Rob Waddell would not mind whether he was in a single, a double or a quad at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Now that the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion and grinder-on-hold has made it clear that he, too, is desperate to be in the single at the Games, both men should be set on doing their talking on the water.

Single-minded athletes in both meanings of the word, the battle between Waddell and the three-times world champion should be one of the great New Zealand sporting contests, drawn out into the first week of March in the national Olympic rowing trials at Lake Karapiro.

It has drawn unprecedented interest in the sport, with members of the public who would normally have only passing interest in rowing voicing their opinions in the streets and on the airwaves.

The gladiators should clash again in the North Island championships at Karapiro this weekend before the nationals on the lake from February 19 to 23.

Nothing too much can be read in to their two clashes so far, although Drysdale certainly believes he has made real inroads on Waddell's initial dominance in the six weeks. Both men will have more left yet.

A lot of rowing experts seem to think Waddell is such a phenomenal athlete that he will prevail, but Drysdale has proved just as much of a winner when the going has got tough and is sure to be there at the finish.

Suggestions the Melbourne-born Drysdale might contemplate representing the country of his birth if he missed out on the single for Beijing would appear to be spurious, although he has held a New Zealand passport for only about five years.

Drysdale's family moved to New Zealand permanently when he was 11, after a few years in England, and it would be hard to believe he would swap the black singlet for an Australian one after representing this country at the 2004 Athens Olympics, then winning three straight world titles in the single.

He said at the weekend that being selected for New Zealand was where his passion lies and "I think once you have represented a country, then you are bound a little bit to that country".

There is apparently a looseness in the eligibility rules, that would make a change of allegiance theoretically possible, but that would require the agreement of Fisa and both national Olympic committees.

While feeling sympathy for Drysdale's situation as the reigning world champion with the two top exponents of a sporting discipline being from the same country, it is hard to argue with the growing view that the best winner should go in the single, whoever it might be.

Despite having qualified the single scull as a boat for Beijing, Drysdale is well aware that no God-given right of the Olympic spot was attached.

As recently as 2004, both Rob Hellstrom and Ian Smallman failed to make the Olympic rowing team after respectively helping qualify the pair and coxless four for Athens.

Of course, it is possible that either man could take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, if unsuccessful in their drive for the single sculls spot.

New Zealand would lose nothing if Drysdale or Waddell was included in a crew boat with their inclusion surely just boosting the chances of that particular combination at the Olympics.

If it was a quad or an eight, though, the crew would still have to qualify.

Both men have won a swag of red coats (national titles) in various crew boats, and Waddell rowed in both pairs and fours at the worlds before taking on the single.

Drysdale was acknowledged to have done a fine job as stroke of the New Zealand straight four which finished fifth in its final at Athens.

The national selectors were still keen for him to row in the four at the 2005 worlds, but he said at the time that he was only available for the single.

As far as having to peak twice is concerned, that is nothing new for New Zealand rowing candidates, although a battle between Waddell and Drysdale is a peak of Everest proportions.

Meanwhile one former international rower said it looked like the latest race was fairly sensational.

"And tell me that's not good training."

- © Fairfax NZ News