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Emma goes top spot in tourist hot spot
New Zealand crews make a great start on day one of the World Beach Sprint Champs.
How does two weeks on the Turquoise Coast in the tourist mecca of Antalya, Turkiye, sound about this time of year?
Because if World Rowing wanted to attract athletes to coastal, they couldn't have picked a better spot.
It's been perfectly suiting best mates Emma Twigg and Erin James who first roomed together at the World Junior Champs in 2003, just around the corner in Greece.
They are reflecting on day one of the champs where Emma qualified top in the Women's Open Solo to go straight through to the knockout rounds and Erin, paired with Matt Dunham in the Mixed Double came within less than half a second of making the top eight as well in the first time trial.
Erin's return to international competition hasn't gone unnoticed in the rowing world.
"As I started," says Erin, "the guy, I don't usually even pay attention to the loud speaker, but he was like, 'Oh, James from New Zealand, after a 16-year hiatus.' It made me think of Nicky Coles and I raced with her when I thought she was "real old" and I feel like I'm her now, which is funny. She won't mind me saying that."
Emma: "She was only 35!"
Yes, well, Emma's 38, Erin's 39.
So how does Emma keep doing what she's doing, now top seed from a field of 32 that includes younger coastal specialists, or athletes who are still smashing out gruelling 2K races on flat water.
" I don't know the answer to that," says Emma. "I mean, I don't necessarily feel my age. I know I'm ageing, but I guess I've spent 20 years doing the sport so there's some base fitness there."
Emma top qualified with a 2 minutes 49.33 second run, Germany's Julia Tertuente was next fastest with 2.51.79 followed by the USA's Christine Cavallo on 2.51.84.
Emma's also expecting a real challenge from European champion Magdalena Lobnig from Austria (6th, 2.54.21).
"This is a very different game. There's so much that can go wrong. There are so many little bits that you've got to refine and that you can make time up on."
Emma getting a push out by one of the team coaches Joe Sullivan for her time trial race.
Erin and Matt Dunham are well aware of that, after finishing in 2.26.61 and just 0.35s behind Poland to miss going straight through to the knockout races.
"It's disappointing, but everything happens for a reason," says Erin. "It's made us really pick apart our race…there are a few things that we can easily improve on."
They'll start last in tomorrow's second time trial, at least mostly knowing the time they'll need to advance.
"That's cool but you also know that the Aussies fell off their seat so there's some really good crews that potentially would've been more competitive today if something hadn't happened.
"So, I guess you take nothing for granted, we've got to race our hardest tomorrow and improve all the things that we've identified and put an even better performance out there to make sure of it."
Erin James (stroke) and Matt Dunham racing in the mixed double time trial.
Finn Hamill finished third in 2.31.65 behind Germany (2.30.93) and USA (2.31.30) in the opening time trial of the Men's Open Solo to advance straight to tomorrow's knockout racing.
Finn Hamill made it through to the knockout after a fast time trial.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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- Home
- /
- High Performance Athletes
- /
- Emma goes top...
Emma goes top spot in tourist hot spot
New Zealand crews make a great start on day one of the World Beach Sprint Champs.
How does two weeks on the Turquoise Coast in the tourist mecca of Antalya, Turkiye, sound about this time of year?
Because if World Rowing wanted to attract athletes to coastal, they couldn't have picked a better spot.
It's been perfectly suiting best mates Emma Twigg and Erin James who first roomed together at the World Junior Champs in 2003, just around the corner in Greece.
They are reflecting on day one of the champs where Emma qualified top in the Women's Open Solo to go straight through to the knockout rounds and Erin, paired with Matt Dunham in the Mixed Double came within less than half a second of making the top eight as well in the first time trial.
Erin's return to international competition hasn't gone unnoticed in the rowing world.
"As I started," says Erin, "the guy, I don't usually even pay attention to the loud speaker, but he was like, 'Oh, James from New Zealand, after a 16-year hiatus.' It made me think of Nicky Coles and I raced with her when I thought she was "real old" and I feel like I'm her now, which is funny. She won't mind me saying that."
Emma: "She was only 35!"
Yes, well, Emma's 38, Erin's 39.
So how does Emma keep doing what she's doing, now top seed from a field of 32 that includes younger coastal specialists, or athletes who are still smashing out gruelling 2K races on flat water.
" I don't know the answer to that," says Emma. "I mean, I don't necessarily feel my age. I know I'm ageing, but I guess I've spent 20 years doing the sport so there's some base fitness there."
Emma top qualified with a 2 minutes 49.33 second run, Germany's Julia Tertuente was next fastest with 2.51.79 followed by the USA's Christine Cavallo on 2.51.84.
Emma's also expecting a real challenge from European champion Magdalena Lobnig from Austria (6th, 2.54.21).
"This is a very different game. There's so much that can go wrong. There are so many little bits that you've got to refine and that you can make time up on."
Emma getting a push out by one of the team coaches Joe Sullivan for her time trial race.
Erin and Matt Dunham are well aware of that, after finishing in 2.26.61 and just 0.35s behind Poland to miss going straight through to the knockout races.
"It's disappointing, but everything happens for a reason," says Erin. "It's made us really pick apart our race…there are a few things that we can easily improve on."
They'll start last in tomorrow's second time trial, at least mostly knowing the time they'll need to advance.
"That's cool but you also know that the Aussies fell off their seat so there's some really good crews that potentially would've been more competitive today if something hadn't happened.
"So, I guess you take nothing for granted, we've got to race our hardest tomorrow and improve all the things that we've identified and put an even better performance out there to make sure of it."
Erin James (stroke) and Matt Dunham racing in the mixed double time trial.
Finn Hamill finished third in 2.31.65 behind Germany (2.30.93) and USA (2.31.30) in the opening time trial of the Men's Open Solo to advance straight to tomorrow's knockout racing.
Finn Hamill made it through to the knockout after a fast time trial.
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
