Row: Halliday hands out sledge to Finland

AAP General News (Australia)
08-09-2008
Row: Halliday hands out sledge to Finland

By Jim Morton

BEIJING, Aug 9 AAP - World champion Amber Halliday has delivered a pre-Olympic regatta
sledge to lightweight double sculls rivals Finland, questioning their conditioning after
rowing "fat" this season.

Halliday and crew-mate Marguerite Houston, who start their Beijing Games campaign tomorrow,
are slight favourites of repeating their 2007 world title triumph at the Shunyi Rowing
Centre.

In an even field, the Finnish crew of Sanna Sten and Minna Nieminen, who took silver
behind Australia in Munich last year, present as their biggest threat.

But Halliday, 28, suggested the Finns could be burnt by the Beijing heat and their
tactic of racing in the open double sculls "heavyweights" on this year's World Cup circuit.

Sten and Nieminen, who must weigh in around 55kg, have had to work hard to sheds the
kilos after the Australians felt they let themselves go in the northern summer.

"They competed in the heavyweights this year and they weren't just big, they were
fat," Halliday told AAP.

"You could tell they were tubby, and we're thinking that that may help us.

"It will be interesting to see what they can do and whether they can do all that and
handle the heat at the same time."

The rowing heats and finals will all be staged in the mid-afternoon with the temperature
topping 30C, combined with 75 per cent humidity.

The conditions will be oppressive but better suit the Adelaide pair.

The Australians will face the reformed Dutch crew which took bronze in Athens and America
in their heat where the top two finishers book a semi-final berth.

In an action-packed day two, Australian flagbearer James Tomkins will suit up for
his first race in his sixth Olympics when he leads the men's eights.

Australia has never won gold in the blue-riband boats but both Tomkins' crew and the
in-form women's eight are genuine contenders to break the drought.

They will qualify automatically for Sunday's final if they win their heats tomorrow.

The lightweight men's fours, lightweight double sculls, and men's and women's quad
sculls crews will also compete in day two heats.

AAP jsm/jds

KEYWORD: OLY08 ROW AUST PREVIEW

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