NZ U23 rowing crews grab two silvers

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New Zealand have bagged two silver medals on finals day at the world under-23 rowing championships at Brest, Belarus this morning.

Julia Edward and Lucy Strack finished second in the women's lightweight double scull with the women's eight matching their performance later.

Edward and Strack finished in seven minutes, 30.95 seconds, just two seconds behind the winning boat from Greece.

Third at 500 metres, they gradually established themselves in a competitive field that was giving chase to the fast starting Greeks Triantafyllia Kalampoka and Christina Giazitzidou.

They made a big push with 800 metres as they cleared the chasing pack but the Greek girls responded to hit the finish with Strack and Edward still closing in.

In the women's eights New Zealand's crew of Genevieve Behrent, Hayley Hoogeveen, Kylie Wright, Fiona Bourke, Jessica Loe, Zoe Stevenson, Tarsha Williams, Kelsey Bevan and Frances Turner showed real fighting spirit in a race that was a dogfight between the USA, Canada and the Kiwis.

The Americans took the lead but the fight for second was never more than a few metres behind them between New Zealand and Canada.

A tussle for the silver raged in the last 500 metres, but the Canadians could do nothing about the New Zealand crew's finishing sprint to grab second in 6min 36.48sec, almost 5sec behind the Americans.

New Zealand crews made three other finals.

Lightweight sculler Leah Stanley was unable to overcome a slow start and finished fifth.

Robbie Manson, world u-23 champion in the double scull last year with Joseph Sullivan but partnering brother Karl this year, finished fifth after fading in the last 500m.

The New Zealand lightweight four of Finian Scott, James Lassche, Graham Oberlin-Brown and Curtis Rapley finished sixth in their final.

New Zealand results at world under-23 rowing championships at Brest, Belarusia which ended this morning:

Women's Eight - 2nd

Women's lightweight double scull - 2nd

Men's coxed four - 4th

Men's double scull - 5th

Women's lightweight single scull - 5th

Men's lightweight four - 6th

Women's quadruple scull - 10th

- NZPA