Oarsome day!

Photo: Photosport

Eric Murray, left, and Hamish Bond on top of the world.

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THE New Zealand men's pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray joined an elite club of world rowing champions in two different boats last night.

They blitzed their opponents to win the men's coxless pairs gold at the world championships in Poznan, Poland, just a few minutes after the women's pair of Rebecca Scown and Emma Feathery claimed the women's coxless pairs bronze.

And to cap a magical evening for the Kiwis, Mahe Drysdale won the last final of the evening, when he held out the fast-finishing Brit Alan Campbell in the men's single sculls. It was Drysdale's fourth world title.

Bond and Murray now are double world champions, having been part of New Zealand's triumphant men's four two years ago.

They were heavily favoured going into the race and left their competition in no doubt as they jumped out to a commanding lead after just 500m.

"We just flew out at the start," Bond said. "We gave it everything in that first 500 and took that length."

The burden of expectations was not something Bond and Murray were used to in the four. But unbeaten going into this final, they were well aware they were marked men.

"It's a weight off my shoulders," Bond said.

"I've been stressing the last few days. It was a new thing for us going in as favourites."

The British pair of Andrew Triggs-Hodge and Peter Reed was expected to be their great threat and that was the case as they pursued the New Zealanders down the course.

However they never had the boat speed as Bond and Murray romped away to win in six minutes, 15.93 seconds, just over a second outside the world record.

"There were times throughout the season when I was thinking, `this better be worth it because, man, it sucks right now'," Bond said.

"We did some really hard training this year but it's all worth it now."

Scown and Feathery got New Zealand's medal chase under way with their bronze.

"It's bittersweet really," Feathery said. "It's not what we wanted."

Matthew Cohen and Nathan Trott struggled to keep pace in the final of the men's double sculls coming home fourth in a time of 6min 08.87.

Adaptive rower Robin Tinga was the first New Zealander in finals action.

However he found the pace too hot in his medal race and crossed the line fifth.

- NZPA