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Talk about trusting the process
It's an often-used throwaway line but the New Zealand Women's Four put real meaning behind the words at the Worlds.
It takes next level belief to achieve what the New Zealand Women's Four did on day six of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China.
Alana Sherman, Isla Blake, Beckie Leigh and Juliette Lequeux won bronze in one of the most thrilling races of the regatta so far.
The pace out of the start through the first 200m was withering.
"Honestly, I was getting pretty worried," says Beckie. "It wasn't like we weren't rowing well, it just felt like everyone had stepped it up."
"Low key I was like, 'Did everyone just fox their heats? Because this feels weird,'" says Isla.
A casual observer might well have thought New Zealand were gone by the 500m, trailing the field and more than three seconds down on a Great Britain crew that appeared to be burning a lot of matches early.
The Olympic champion Dutch crew were only intensifying the flames and you just never know where you are when there's a Romanian crew in the field as well.
But inside the New Zealand boat, everything was…calm.
"I was in a bit of a state of like, 'Well, we are where we are in the race, panicking isn't going to get us any further up in the field,'" says Isla. "I think it was just trusting that we've done K after K this winter and we have the fitness to take us through the middle K."
New Zealand went through the 1000m mark in fifth place, now just over two seconds behind new leaders, the USA.
" Romania was there and I can remember it right now, calling 'I'm on three seat of Romania,'" says Beckie. "Looked around to see where the Dutch were, saw where GB was and just kept everyone in the loop on where we were sitting and then I was like, 'Let's mow them down.'"
By the 1500m the Dutch and British flame had fizzled and it was Romania and New Zealand now in the podium spots behind the American boat.
The US suddenly looked cooked as Romania hit the afterburners.
USA hung on to cross in 6.27.71, Romania took silver in 6.28.44 and New Zealand bronze 6.31.11.
Alana Sherman, Isla Blake, Beckie Leigh and Juliette Lequeux won bronze in what was a thrilling Women's Four A Final.
Earlier, Logan Ullrich finished fourth in his semifinal of the Men's Single Sculls. Neutral athlete Yauheni Zalaty continued his impressive season to win in 6.54.29, holding off a flying finish from Uruguay's Bruno Berriolo (6.56.99). Lithuanian Giedrius Bieliauskas was third (6.57.27). Logan crossed in 6.58.49.
" I raced the best I could but I'm just not fit enough to match the pace through the middle," says Logan, who's still in his first season in the single and has had injury interruptions.
"It was always going to be a challenge moving into the single from sweeping and the body was always going to have a reaction to it."
He's keen to return in the boat next season, with a lot more miles under his belt.
"I'm strong, I've got a good start and a good finish but if you're not fit you can't really do anything with that strength."
Logan Ullrich finished fourth in his semifinal of the Men's Single Sculls.
The Men's Double Sculls of Ben Mason and Finn Hamill finished second in the B Final behind Individual Neutral Athletes Andrei Potapkin and Aleksandr Iakovlev.
The B Final of the Men's Four featured a New Zealand crew that came very close to making the medal race, a Croatian crew out to prove they should have been in the medal race and a US boat that appeared to have a different medal race on their minds altogether.
New Zealand's Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Campbell Crouch, Zack Rumble and Matt Dunham were just a second shy of making the top three in their semifinal.
The Sinkovic brothers put the Croatian four together with the Loncaric twins as a project for LA 2028.
The US won the four at the Paris Games and although it's a new crew, no one wants to forfeit being No 1 in the world.
For 1200m it was a three-boat race with the Croatians leading, the US in second and New Zealand in third.
At that point, the US pulled the pin, paddling down the rest of the course, presumably thinking about the row they also have when they double up in the A Final of the Men's Eight tonight (NZT).
Croatia won in 6.01.42, New Zealand finished second in 6.04.24.
New Zealand Crews in Action Sunday Sept 27
3.05pm (NZT) Ben Mason, Kathryn Glen in Heat One of the Mixed Double Sculls.
3.25pm (NZT) Alana Sherman, Oliver Welch, Ben Taylor, Campbell Crouch, Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Beckie Leigh, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake, Harry Molloy (cox), in Heat Two of the Mixed Eight.
6.25pm Logan Ullrich in the B Final of the Men's Single Sculls.
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
- /
- International Regattas
- /
- Talk about trusting...
Talk about trusting the process
It's an often-used throwaway line but the New Zealand Women's Four put real meaning behind the words at the Worlds.
It takes next level belief to achieve what the New Zealand Women's Four did on day six of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China.
Alana Sherman, Isla Blake, Beckie Leigh and Juliette Lequeux won bronze in one of the most thrilling races of the regatta so far.
The pace out of the start through the first 200m was withering.
"Honestly, I was getting pretty worried," says Beckie. "It wasn't like we weren't rowing well, it just felt like everyone had stepped it up."
"Low key I was like, 'Did everyone just fox their heats? Because this feels weird,'" says Isla.
A casual observer might well have thought New Zealand were gone by the 500m, trailing the field and more than three seconds down on a Great Britain crew that appeared to be burning a lot of matches early.
The Olympic champion Dutch crew were only intensifying the flames and you just never know where you are when there's a Romanian crew in the field as well.
But inside the New Zealand boat, everything was…calm.
"I was in a bit of a state of like, 'Well, we are where we are in the race, panicking isn't going to get us any further up in the field,'" says Isla. "I think it was just trusting that we've done K after K this winter and we have the fitness to take us through the middle K."
New Zealand went through the 1000m mark in fifth place, now just over two seconds behind new leaders, the USA.
" Romania was there and I can remember it right now, calling 'I'm on three seat of Romania,'" says Beckie. "Looked around to see where the Dutch were, saw where GB was and just kept everyone in the loop on where we were sitting and then I was like, 'Let's mow them down.'"
By the 1500m the Dutch and British flame had fizzled and it was Romania and New Zealand now in the podium spots behind the American boat.
The US suddenly looked cooked as Romania hit the afterburners.
USA hung on to cross in 6.27.71, Romania took silver in 6.28.44 and New Zealand bronze 6.31.11.
Alana Sherman, Isla Blake, Beckie Leigh and Juliette Lequeux won bronze in what was a thrilling Women's Four A Final.
Earlier, Logan Ullrich finished fourth in his semifinal of the Men's Single Sculls. Neutral athlete Yauheni Zalaty continued his impressive season to win in 6.54.29, holding off a flying finish from Uruguay's Bruno Berriolo (6.56.99). Lithuanian Giedrius Bieliauskas was third (6.57.27). Logan crossed in 6.58.49.
" I raced the best I could but I'm just not fit enough to match the pace through the middle," says Logan, who's still in his first season in the single and has had injury interruptions.
"It was always going to be a challenge moving into the single from sweeping and the body was always going to have a reaction to it."
He's keen to return in the boat next season, with a lot more miles under his belt.
"I'm strong, I've got a good start and a good finish but if you're not fit you can't really do anything with that strength."
Logan Ullrich finished fourth in his semifinal of the Men's Single Sculls.
The Men's Double Sculls of Ben Mason and Finn Hamill finished second in the B Final behind Individual Neutral Athletes Andrei Potapkin and Aleksandr Iakovlev.
The B Final of the Men's Four featured a New Zealand crew that came very close to making the medal race, a Croatian crew out to prove they should have been in the medal race and a US boat that appeared to have a different medal race on their minds altogether.
New Zealand's Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Campbell Crouch, Zack Rumble and Matt Dunham were just a second shy of making the top three in their semifinal.
The Sinkovic brothers put the Croatian four together with the Loncaric twins as a project for LA 2028.
The US won the four at the Paris Games and although it's a new crew, no one wants to forfeit being No 1 in the world.
For 1200m it was a three-boat race with the Croatians leading, the US in second and New Zealand in third.
At that point, the US pulled the pin, paddling down the rest of the course, presumably thinking about the row they also have when they double up in the A Final of the Men's Eight tonight (NZT).
Croatia won in 6.01.42, New Zealand finished second in 6.04.24.
New Zealand Crews in Action Sunday Sept 27
3.05pm (NZT) Ben Mason, Kathryn Glen in Heat One of the Mixed Double Sculls.
3.25pm (NZT) Alana Sherman, Oliver Welch, Ben Taylor, Campbell Crouch, Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Beckie Leigh, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake, Harry Molloy (cox), in Heat Two of the Mixed Eight.
6.25pm Logan Ullrich in the B Final of the Men's Single Sculls.
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.
