Stiff Swiss test for SA rowers

The men's coxed pair crew of David Hunt and Lawrence Britain with Willie Morgan as coxswain finished in fifth place in their six-lane second heat with only the first boat in each heat guaranteed a place in the final.

The South African crew started strong as they held second place over the first 500 metres behind Olympic champions Eric Murray and Hamish Bond of New Zealand.

They dropped down to third place after a 1000m before settling into fifth place over the second half of the race with the New Zealanders finishing with a considerable gap between them and the Netherlands in second place.

South Africa's para-rowing LTA Mixed Coxed Four crew of Shannon Murray, Lucy Perold, Clifford Andrews, Dieter Rosslee and Morgan as coxswain made a spirited attempt at claiming a direct path to the final on Thursday by finishing first in their heat.

Although the Italian crew led the 1000m race from start to finish, the South Africans pushed them to the line.

(File Photo:Gallo Images)