Source: Radio New Zealand
New Zealand’s Emma Twigg wins gold in the Women’s Solo event at the World Beach Sprint Championships in Turkey 2025. Rowing NZ / Photosport
Three New Zealanders are up for World Rowing awards.
Single sculler Emma Twigg has been recognised for her efforts in 2025, while Kerri Williams and Grace Prendergast have been noted for performances during their careers.
Twigg is up for the Women’s Crew of the Year after winning the solo title at the World Beach Sprint Finals in Turkey in November.
Two other legends of New Zealand rowing, Williams and Prendergast, have been named as finalists for the Thomas Keller Medal which recognises a contribution to rowing.
Twigg, a 38-year-old Olympic and world single sculls champion, switched to beach racing following the Paris Olympics and has now set her sights on competing at the LA 2028 Olympics, where the event will debut.
Williams (nee Gowler) and Prendergast won one Olympic and three coxless pairs titles together.
PHOTOSPORT
Williams won three Olympic medals and five World Championship titles in total, while Prendergast won two Olympic medals and five world titles.
In 2019, Kerri and Grace Prendergast became the first New Zealand female athletes to win a World Rowing Championship title in two events in the same year, the Women’s Pair and Eight.
Twigg is up against the world championship winning Dutch eight and the world championship winning Romanian pair for the Women’s Crew of the Year award.
Five New Zealanders have previously won the Thomas Keller Medal. Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell in 2016, Eric Murray and Hamish Bond in 2018 and Mahe Drysdale in 2022.
The winners will be announced in January.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
