PHOTO ANN WOOLLIAMS

WORLD ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS NEW ZEALAND 2010

SEMIS Kiwi Battlers take a place in the A Final After finishing third in their heat, Julia  Edward and Lucy Strack battled their way through Tuesday's repechage round to advance to the semifinals.

They needed a top 3 place to go to the A final and , with 500m to go, were in fourth place, a length and a half off the Americans in third. They chose the last 35m to power on and take the Americans out of the race finishing 3^rd behind Greece in 2^nd and Great Britain in 1^st.

This was the more competitive semi final. The 2^nd Semi was raced at a slower pace and the top 3 were comfortable most of the way. This will hold surprises possibly for the ‘kiwi battlers’ but they have proved they are up to it. Edward told the NZ Herald they have their sights set on the podium….

"That's definitely the goal; we've got to now sit down with our coach and re-evaluate everything and discuss our tactics and race plan."

Edward said the step up from under-23 to senior level has been a huge eye-opener, but with the pair eyeing a selection for the London Olympics, they are exactly where they want to be.

"The competition is so much more extreme and aggressive."