Rotorua’s rowing rocket pockets gold!

Julia Edward(right), with Lucy Strack in stroke seat of the Women’s Lightweight Double Scull (WLTWT 2X), have won gold at the inaugural 2013 Sydney International Rowing Regatta in a time of 8 minutes and 8 seconds.The girls coach Dick Tonks has been making training and racing similar; keeping them relaxed, continuous and dynamic. Edward felt they had put all those three things into their race in Sydney.

“We didn't have a dominant start but this didn't worry us. We just squeezed on through the field till we had the lead and kept on moving away. “

Edward and Strack lead from the 500m mark to confidently take the gold medal from Australia, and delegate Great Britain to third place.

“Going into Sydney we had no idea how we were going to go,” said Edward“ especially the year after the Olympics- you really don't know what other countries have been doing.”

Lucy and Julia rowed together in 2010, but Julia said they are still working on things- trying to get their combination dominant. “Our win at the Sydney World Cup was a great start to the season” said Edward.

New Zealand flew home with a total of five gold medals, including Edward and Strack’s gold, the Women’s Double Sculls, the Lightweight Men's Single Scull,the Men’s Double Scull and the Men’s Lightweight coxless four oar.

New Zealand also brought home silver with the Men’s coxless quad sculls and two bronze medals with the Women’s coxless quad sculls and the Men’s coxless four oar.

250 international athletes, including many Olympians and Olympic medalists, from 18 countries competed for this the first World Rowing Cup hosted in Australia. It was the biggest rowing spectacle in the Asia - Pacific region since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Australia competed with 62 athletes, China with 44, Great Britain with 43 and New Zealand with 41.  Great Britain, topped the medal ranks at the London 2012 Olympic Rowing Regatta and lined up with nine Olympic medalists, including five London 2012 Olympic gold medalists.   Six Olympic gold medalists competed for the U.S. team, who had a total of fourteen 2012 Olympians in their team. Team Canada entered four Olympic medalists and France included the French 2012 Olympic silver medal winning men’s pair.

Rowing New Zealand has paired Rotorua’s Julia Edward with her former sculling buddy Lucy Strack for the 2013 world rowing season.Edward is enjoying being back in the Women’s Lightweight double sculls (WLTWT 2X) with Strack, who missed the 2012 season due to back injury.

Edward’s 2012 London Olympic lightweight double sculls partner Louise Ayling, is back in her single scull for 2013/14. Edward, with Ayling, made history for Rotorua rowing last year, with a WBT (World Best Time)of 6 minutes and 49.43 seconds in the heat of the WLTWT 2X at the  2012 World Cup in Lucerne.