They duly won their pairs heat to progress directly to the semifinals on Tuesday and then were part of the NZ women’s eight which won their heat in dramatic fashion with a surging finish to seal an automatic place in Friday’s final. “It didn t phase us too much,” Gowler said after the eights heat. “We ve done two races in a day multiple times, so I think we were almost happy that we ll have another extra day off.” Prendergast and Gowler are the defending world champions – from 2019 – in the pair and were also part of the Kiwi women’s eight which also won gold in Austria two years ago at the last rowing worlds champs to be held before the Tokyo Olympics.
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Their time was usurped in the next heat by a highly impressive Romanian combination in 6:49.79, while The Netherlands won the third heat in 6:49.90. “It just felt like we were racing at home. It was nothing too crazy,” Osborne said soon after their race. “Good race, good hit out,” Donoghue added. “We just stuck to the process and it s nice to come out on top after having no racing over the last couple of years. I m really confident in what Hannah and I can do.” Twigg, competing at her fourth Olympic Games, led from the start of her women’s single scull heat to win in a time of seven minutes 35.22 seconds – the fastest time in the six heats on Friday.
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TOKYO (Reuters) - Four-time Olympian Emma Twigg’s latest battle for the podium got off to a roaring start on Friday, as compelling matchups in the men’s and women’s single sculls began to take shape on the first day of Olympic rowing at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo.
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The 34-year-old New Zealander posted the fastest overall time of the women’s opening heats in her first race since 2019, cruising through to a 7:35.22 finish at the fan-free venue after two heartbreaking fourth-place finishes at the London and Rio Games.
“It’s definitely a lung-buster. A few nerves going into it, but that’s to be expected in an Olympic Games. It’s good to get underway,” she said. “These early races, nobody really shows their cards.”
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