The Australian men’s eight has won its first World Championship medal for a decade as Australia won three more medals on the final day of the 2010 World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro, New Zealand.

Lake Karapiro turned on the best conditions of the week as the women’s double scull and lightweight men’s eight won silver, while the men’s eight broke their long drought with bronze.

It took Australia’s medal tally to eight for the regatta (1 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze), which is the most an Australian team has ever won at a World Championships.

Joshua Dunkley Smith (VIC), Nicholas Purnell (NSW), Sam Loch (NSW), James Marburg (VIC), Cameron McKenzie McHarg (VIC), Francis Hegerty (NSW), Matt Ryan (NSW) and Will Lockwood (VIC), coxed by Toby Lister, combined for the men’s eight to win bronze behind Germany and Great Britain, Australia’s first World Championship medal in the eight since 1997.

In that period of time Australia has won two Olympic medals but never tasted World Championship success.

Australia held with leaders Germany until the 1000m mark, when Great Britain joined the battle, and despite not being able to quite hold on, Australia won the bronze medal in a time of 5:35.96, two seconds back from Germany.

Cox Toby Lister says winning the bronze medal was a special feeling.

“We put together a good performance but the Germans were just a bit too quick out of the blocks,” Lister said.

“We’re really happy to be on the podium and it is the start of something good.

“We’ve a couple more years to the Olympics and there’s been an awesome feeling in the boat the whole campaign.

“All of the team has a great feeling about it right through to the support staff. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”

Kerry Hore (TAS) and Kim Crow (VIC) won the silver medal in the women’s double scull to show their hand as a strong sculling combination less than two years out from the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Hore and Crow claimed the silver medal behind Great Britain in a time of 7:10.08 and four seconds clear of bronze medallists Poland.

It was Hore’s first World Championship medal since winning gold in the women’s quad scull in 2003, while Crow picked up her second World Championship medal after previously winning a bronze medal in the women’s eight in 2006.

Crow said the race plan had worked for her and Hore.

"Great race and I’m very pleased with the result,” Crow said. “Kerry just pulled me down the course.

“We had planned to just row our race and stay internal. It was a really tough race and the British girls were awesome.

“I think the doubling up in the quad worked in our favour. This is our first regatta together and instead of one race we had five under our belt.”

The men’s lightweight eight of Perry Ward (WA), Tom Bertrand (VIC), Darryn Purcell (QLD), Nick Baker (TAS), Alister Foot (TAS), Blair Tunevitsch (TAS), Angus Tyers (VIC) and Ross Brown (WA), coxed by David Webster (VIC), also won silver on the final day of action.

Olympian Ben Cureton was a late withdrawal from the crew which allowed Tunevitsch the chance to add another medal to the silver he won in the lightweight men’s four.

Australia battled with Germany down the 2000m course with the experienced German crew holding on for the win ahead of Australia, who recorded a time of 5:50.27.

Jared Bidwell (QLD) and Nicholas Hudson (NSW) finished fifth in the final of the men’s double scull, with New Zealand taking home the gold medal.

The Australian team finished with the fourth highest total of medals, with only Great Britain (11), New Zealand (10) and Germany (9) winning more.

Rowing Australia