Former mens lightweight double sculls world champions Storm Uru and Peter Taylor today qualified comfortably for the Olympic semi-finals of their event.
With the top two finishers in their heat to progress to the semis, the New Zealanders and the British pair of Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter became engaged in their own private battle, well ahead of the other three crews.
The British led throughout and at the halfway point had a margin of more than 1 seconds.
However, Uru and Taylor pulled them back and at the finish there was just 0.73s in it. The British recorded 6min 36.29s and the New Zealanders 6min 37.02s. The third-placed Australians were more than 10 seconds adrift.
There wasnt such good news for New Zealanders Louise Ayling and Julia Edward in the lightweight womens double sculls. They will have to take the long route to the semi-finals after finishing third in their heat.
With only the first two gaining direct entry to the semi-finals, they now move to the repechage.
Ayling and Edward fell away over the final stages of their heat and recorded a time of 7min 02.78s, nearly three seconds behind the second-placed Danish team.