By 3 News online staff with NZN
Nathan Cohen and Joseph Sullivan have secured New Zealand’s first gold medal in London, with a comfortable win in the Men’s Double Sculls final at Eton.
With a time of 6.31.67, the Kiwi back-to-back world champions easily edged out the Italian combination of Alessio Sartori by 1.13 sec (6.32.80), with Slovenians Luka Spik and Iztok Cop – the 2000 Olympic champions and 2004 silver medallists - taking bronze with a time of 6.34.35.
“We didn’t expect this,” said Sullivan after the race. “Everything came together today.
“The last 500 was where they paid and we benefited.”
Sullivan wanted to thank everyone back in New Zealand.
Cohen, 26, and Sullivan, 25, join the ranks of Olympic champions after claiming the men's double sculls title at the London Games regatta at Eton Dorney.
Cohen has no hesitation in identifying the person and the moment that moved him to aim for the top in his sport.
"Rob Waddell winning in Sydney," he said.
"I was 14 years old at the time and had just started rowing.
"When he made his move with just over 500m to go and rowed through [Swiss defending champion] Xeno Mueller, I thought that was the coolest thing I had seen."
Sullivan also said Waddell's victory in Sydney had also made the deepest sporting impression on him as a youngster.
"He definitely inspired me to get into rowing," he said.
"Hopefully, we've inspired a new generation of athletes, whether it's in rowing or any other sport."
3 News / NZN