A blistering second half of the race has driven the dominant Kiwi rowing men’s pair of Ben Taylor and Oli Welch victory over their chief international rivals.
The win in the first World Cup regatta of the season in Seville, Spain, confirmed exactly what the data and the crew's intuition had pointed to before arriving in Europe.
However, the crew had struggled to find their form in the weeks leading up to the final, failing to replicate the speed they had shown during domestic training.
"The rhythm hasn't really been there," Taylor said. "We've been struggling to find our way a little bit … we hadn't found that feeling we had back home in New Zealand."
On the eve of the final, the pair decided to alter their strategy and focus on a more direct, uncluttered approach.
