Rower McCann poised for world champs glory after winning her semi

Kirsty McCann produced a dominant display at the rowing world championships in the US on Thursday as she won her lightweight single sculls semifinal to qualify for Friday’s final.

And the showdown in Sarasota-Bradenton on the Florida west coast on Friday (SA time) is almost a repeat of the Lucerne leg of the World Cup series a few months back where the South African roared to victory.

Adding to McCann’s confidence is that her 7min 39.55sec winning time was the quickest of both semifinals.

And if she can make the podium‚ McCann will become the first South African to pick up back-to-back world championship silverware since Ramon Di Clemente and Don Cech 12 years ago.

Competing in the lightweight double sculls at the last showpiece two years ago‚ she and partner Ursula Grobler became the first local women to lift a senior world championship medal when they ended third.

But to achieve success on Friday McCann will also have to bury the ghost of the 2016 Rio Olympics where she and Grobler‚ having dominated the semifinal‚ took an early lead in the final before fading to fifth place.

McCann deliberately avoided repeating that strategy in Lucerne‚ her only World Cup race this year‚ holding back as she saved her energy for the final.

On Friday she must finish what she didn’t do in Brazil.

On Thursday McCann was given a tough go by Switzerland’s Patricia Merz‚ edging her by eight-hundredths of a second over the 2‚000m course.

Young Dutch powerhouse Marieke Keijser‚ the two-time world under-23 champion‚ was third.

American Mary Jones and European champion Emma Fredh qualified from the other semifinal‚ which was won by the only rower not in the Lucerne final‚ Denise Walsh of Ireland.

In other action‚ disabled rower Sandra Khumalo will contest the women’s singles sculls final on Sunday after taking second place in her repechage.

Kyle Schoonbee won his men’s single sculls heat on Thursday to qualify for Friday’s C final‚ where the winner of the six-strong field can claim 13th overall.

 - TimesLIVE