Drysdale vs Waddell brings rowing to the fore

From all corners of the earth rowing enthusiasts tuned into the trials that, in the end, saw current World Champion Mahe Drysdale prevail.

No one was more interested than the current scullers in the men’s single event.

Great Britain’s Alan Campbell was glued to the progress. “This is probably one of the biggest things to have ever happened in rowing that I can remember (apart from Sir Steve Redgrave winning his fifth consecutive gold in Sydney).” Campbell believed Drysdale would succeed. Seeing Drysdale sprint from behind and win on the line at the 2006 World Rowing Championships in Eton convinced Campbell of this.

Campbell admits that the Waddell-Drysdale battle has inspired him to train a little harder. “I have my own pace boat at the minute in the shape of World Champion Toby Garbett.”

Sweden’s Lassi Karonen called the trials a delicate matter. Commenting from his training camp Karonen said he followed the trials as much as he could despite being in relative media isolation.

Karonen believes the athlete that qualifies for the Olympic spot should have first rights to claim it. “I think the set-up for a rower that knows he has qualified (for the Olympics) is much different than the set-up for the one who tries to take the spot in terms of peaking etc.”

Karonen was backing Drysdale to come through successfully in the end. “He is a strong rower and the best when he needs to be.”

In this lead-up to Beijing Karonen says he has altered his winter training by reducing the amount of cross-country skiing in favour of rowing. “And I have tried some new stuff that I won’t reveal at this stage…”

Current Olympic Champion Olaf Tufte of Norway knows both Drysdale and Waddell and followed the drama from start to finish. “Before Christmas I was sure Mahe would win. But after Rob ‘killed’ the erg and beat Mahe a few times it started to be more of a dead heat.”

“It is almost an unbelievable comeback for Rob after eight years out of the boat,” says Tufte. “I hope Rob goes fast in the double if he goes to Beijing. After this comeback Rob deserves to have a race at the Olympics. Then it is up to him and his partner to make the finish of the comeback a success.”

Campbell believes the race between Drysdale and Waddell would have brought a new group of followers to the sport. “Rowing New Zealand will have a whole new breed of supporters that would not normally be interested and also there will be those interested to see how Mahe will fair come August.”

“I think these trials in New Zealand have caused rowing to get more interest worldwide,” says Tufte. “What Rob has done is so big that I can’t find the right words to describe it. If you had asked me about this comeback some years ago I would have said that no way would he make it! But Rob is Rob and I take my hat off. The Kiwi machine.”

Waddell’s Olympic fate was finally decided a week after selection of the rest of the team. He will join Nathan Cohen in the men's double.