The Otago Girls' High School double sculls combination of Cleo Gilmour and Caitlin Buist has a chance of reaching the Maadi Cup podium at Lake Ruataniwha on Friday.
At the national secondary schools rowing championships at Lake Ruataniwha, they won their heat in the girls under-18 double sculls in 8min 17.15sec.
The under-18 grade was a successful one for Otago crews, as three others made it into the finals after winning their heats.
Oamaru twins Johanna and Caitlin Kearney (St Kevin's) were first in the girls under-18 coxless pairs in 8min 04.39sec.
The St Hilda's lightweight girls double sculls of Claudia Grave and Claudia Dyet won their heat in 8min 24.50sec.
The Mount Aspiring boys double sculls of Jared Wellman and Jamie Bowley were first in 7min 17.05sec.
In the boys under-17 single sculls, Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh) was first in 8min 04.38sec and qualified for the semifinal, along with Eachann Bruce (Mount Aspiring), who was third in 8min 18.74sec.
In the girls under-17 singles sculls, eight Otago rowers qualified for the semifinals.
They included Charlotte Williams (Otago Girls'), who won her heat in 8min 40.39sec, and Zoe McBride (Kavanagh), who was first in 8min 45.75sec.
McBride also qualified for the semifinals in the girls under-18 singles sculls when she finished second in herheat in 8min 26.57sec.
Williams was third in her heat in 8min 50.40sec and also qualified, as did Hannah Duggan (Kavanagh), who was third in 8min 51.27sec. Caitlin Lowe (Dunstan) was second in 8min 36.02sec.
Otago crews that won their heats and qualified for the semifinals in the double sculls were the Otago Boys' under-17 crew of Jack Waddell and James McNichol, in 7min 00.03sec, and the Kavanagh College girls under-18 novice combination of Anna O'Leary and Polly McMullan, in 8min 17.75sec.
Conditions became rough yesterday and races were reduced to 1000m before rowing was stopped. But before that happened, three Otago crews reached the semifinals of the boys under-16 singles sculls.
Jack O'Leary (Kavanagh College) won his heat in 4min 17.91sec and, in the same heat, Riley Bruce (Mount Aspiring) was second in 4min 27.51sec.
Danyon Trask (Dunstan) won his heat in 4min 14.32sec.
