The New Zealand team who have won bronze in the first ever mixed eight held at a world rowing championship in Shangai: Back row from left, Harry Molloy (cox), Oliver Welch, Ben Taylor, Campbell Crouch. Front_row from left, Alana Sherman, Rebecca Leigh, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake and Flynn Watson. Photo: ROWING NZ
New Zealand has won bronze in the first ever mixed eight event held at a world rowing championships.
Alana Sherman, Oliver Welch, Ben Taylor, Campbell Crouch, Flynn Eliadis-Watson, Beckie Leigh, Juliette Lequeux, Isla Blake and cox Harry Molloy only had two training runs in the lead-up to Sunday night's final, but managed to finish third behind gold medallists Romania, with Italy second.
The New Zealanders timed in at 5 minutes 41.06 seconds, behind Romania (5.34.46) and Italy (5.39.58).
Taylor and Welch claimed gold in the men's pair on Thursday, while Sherman, Blake, Leigh and Lequeux secured bronze in the women's four on Friday.
The New Zealanders got away quickly in the final, settling third behind Romania and Italy and the order stayed that way for the rest of the race, but with the Romanians stretching their lead at every 500m mark.
"We had a bit of a shocker in the heat," said Molloy. "But we regrouped, changed the plan for the final, and focused on just swinging on it. We went off like a rocket, like I didn't expect to be that far up the field at 500. It made my life pretty easy."
The introduction of the mixed eight has been warmly welcomed by the rowers and the sport's governing body is pushing to have it included in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
"I'm a pretty big advocate because it's a seat for a coxswain," said Molloy. "Like you see in athletics, that's the way forward for them in terms of getting viewership up, increasing revenue and costs down.
"I think it's cool also bringing both genders together and doing something as one nation."
Waikato's Logan Ullrich finished third in the men's single sculls B final, taking his world ranking to nine in the event.
Ben Mason and Kathryn Glen were second in the B Final of the mixed double sculls.
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