PHOTO; Natalie Hill from Rotorua in bow (Rowing NZ PHOTO)

The NZ Junior Women’s Quad battle Romania for first

Natalie Hill from Rotorua’s John Paul College finished second in her heat, to progress to the semi final after a great race with the Romanians at the 2012 World Rowing Senior and Junior (Under 19) Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Germany, The Czech Republic and Ireland were left behind by the two leading crews.

Natalie and the New Zealand Junior Women’s Quad crew of Hannah Osborne (Te Awamutu RC, Waikato RPC),Ruby Tew (Star BC, Central RPC),Zoe McBride( Kavanagh College, Dunedin), fought hard with Romania, the bronze medallists from 2011,but the Romanians pulled  away from New Zealand. Our kiwi girls stayed ahead of reigning junior champions, Germany. Coming into the final sprint Romania was on 32 rating while New Zealand used a 35 rating to stay up with the leaders.

There are 16 Quads in the event with New Zealand, including Australia, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Romania, Ukraine and the USA, and nearly 1,000 athletes from 57 countries are competing at the regatta.

As this is an Olympic year the 13 boat classes in World Rowing Junior Championships have combined with the seven boat classes of the World Rowing Championships

that are not on the Olympic programme to become one regatta.

New Zealand’s Junior Rowing Team 2012 comprises of four crews; the Junior Women’s Coxless Four, and the Junior Men’s Quadruple Scull, Junior Men’s Coxed Four and the Junior Women’s Quadruple Scull .

The New Zealand’s Senior Rowing Team 2012 is two crews; the Senior Lightweight Women's Single Scull and the Senior Lightweight Men's Pair.