Champions line up for Great Race
Waikato University are matching Harvard's world champion with one of their own for rowing's Great Race on Saturday.Harvard's six seat will be filled by Mike Blomquist, who was part of the US world champion eight in 2005.
At the same event in Japan, Cambridge's Nathan Twaddle won gold in the coxless pairs with George Bridgewater, and he will line up on the Waikato River for Waikato University on Saturday, also in the six seat.
The post-grad finance student returned from this year's world championships in Munich, Germany, yesterday with a silver medal in hand, looking forward to his third and last Gallagher Great Race.
"I'm 31 now and this will be the last time I do the Great Race. Fingers crossed I graduate next year."
Twaddle, who was regarded as the old man of the crew a couple of years ago, said he wanted to help this year's defence of the Harry Mahon Trophy and hopefully pass on a few tips before next year, letting younger guys have a turn.
The event has been running since 2002 on the Waikato River with the hosts winning four of the five races, but Twaddle, who "hates losing", was on the 2004 boat which was beaten by Cambridge.
That year, the race was held immediately after the Olympics and with the rowing finished in week one, they enjoyed themselves in Athens.
This time, fresh off the long-haul flight home, Twaddle said he would be in better nick then three years ago.
The Kiwi rowers peak for the world championships, and after recovering from a long flight back to New Zealand, Twaddle and another member of the Kiwi eight, Graeme Hill, will be in top condition for Saturday.
While he and Hill were away in Germany competing at the worlds, other rowers have been filling their spots for training rows so Twaddle, who said he felt bad about someone keeping his seat warm for him, wanted to make sure he added something to the crew.
While eights aren't the norm for Twaddle, he said he enjoyed the challenge and the duelling aspect of the Great Race.
"It's incredibly different boat racing in the eights, different tactics involved, little bit of mind games and banter between the crews before the race."
Although confident, Twaddle knew Saturday's opponents weren't to be treated lightly.
"From what I understand, the Harvard crew are quality oarsmen and we won't be the biggest Waikato crew to compete in the race, in weight or height."
This race more than others, according to Twaddle, is a coxswain's race so Waikato University fans will be cheering for the black and gold's Mark Taylor to lead his crew home from the crimsons' Jessica Hoy and hers.