Veteran rowers to play a big part ahead of next Olympics

6:12 am on 12 September 2024

Barry Guy, Sports Reporter

New Zealand rower Emma Twigg celebrates her single scull silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

A couple of long-serving names in New Zealand rowing may have a few more years in them yet and could be involved in the 2028 LA Olympics.

Emma Twigg and Joe Sullivan will compete in the World Beach Sprint Rowing Championships in Italy this weekend hoping to build the momentum for the new Olympic sport.

Twigg won gold in the single sculls at Tokyo and last month added a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

In Paris, the 37-year-old was asked if Los Angeles and possibly the coastal rowing part of it would be on her radar, but she admitted that she would probably be a "bit long in the tooth" by then.

However taking on another role has her interested.

The event has been added to the rowing programme for the Los Angeles Olympics. It involves a run (on the beach) to the boat, a 250m slalom row out and back followed by a sprint finish on the beach.

Coastal rowing Photo: World Rowing

There will be three beach sprint medals up for grabs in LA with a men's and women's single and a mixed double.

While New Zealand athletes have competed at previous Coastal Rowing World Championships, this year is the first time it has been with the full backing of Rowing New Zealand.

"She is really passionate about beach sprint, she loves the less stressful environment, and wants to be involved," Rowing New Zealand's Mark Weatherall told RNZ.

"I didn't push her on what that might mean but either as an athlete, a mentor or a potentially as a coach.

Wetherall said her experience would be invaluable.

"She'll be involved in the programme, whether that is competing, I'm not sure.

"For us now it is very much about building a programme and we would love to have her involved in that."

New Zealand has an open team and an under-19 team in Italy.

The purpose of the under-19 team is development while the national body hopes the open rowers will be in the mix for medals.

"We want to get some strong results because post this world championships we'll be presenting to High Performance Sport New Zealand a request for funding for coastal rowing for the next four years leading into LA," said Weatherall.

He admits having the open and under-19 squads together at the same championship is unique.

"Having them staying together, eating together and training together is such an amazing opportunity for the younger squad.

"They're hanging out with people like Joe (Sullivan), Emma (Twigg), Jackie (Kiddle) and Matt (Dunham) and you can't replicate that.

"It's a unique opportunity for them to not only hang out with their heroes and Olympians, but to learn and see what it takes to be a high performance athlete."

Sullivan is the other member of the squad that Rowing New Zealand is hoping will help build a squad ahead of the next Olympics.

Between 2010 and 2012 Sullivan won two world championships and an Olympic gold medal in the double sculls with rowing partner Nathan Cohen.

The 'Pride of Picton' as he is known has also been involved in America's Cup and GP sailing along with bobsleigh. His day job is with the New Zealand Fire Service.

37-year-old Sullivan has worked a lot with the New Zealand under-19 team supporting them in a mentor role.

The qualification process for Beach Sprint at the Olympics is yet to be finalised, but it is expected to be similar to flat water where the majority will be decided at the World Championships the year before.

That will mean that it is very unlikely that rowers will be able to double up in both flatwater and beach sprint at the Olympics.