PORT Chalmers United Rowing Club's triumph couldn't have better showcased the international flavour at the World Masters Rowing regatta.
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Just one New Zealander was part of the Kiwi club's quartet, which cruised to a big win in the women's B four event on Thursday .
Michelle Johnson was the Kiwi member of the crew and combined with Amanda Inkster, from England, Alzbeta Bouskova, from Czech Republic, and Joukje Siebenga, from Netherlands.
They powered to a seven-length win, covering the 1000m in 3:59min.
And while the girls' success may have seemed easy by the margin of the victory, it didn't come without an element of pre-race panic.
A mix-up with bookings meant the crew was left without a boat only an hour before its event, throwing preparations into chaos. However, a kind gesture from La Trobe University Rowing Club, which offered a boat, meant the Port Chalmers outfit was able to take to the waters.
Inkster, 49, said the crew was just lucky to get on the water, but later admitted the victory was a huge thrill.
"It's massive. I just can't believe it," she said after receiving her gold medal. "All we wanted to do was get out on the boat and row this morning. We were just so frustrated."
Inkster, a member of Wanaka Rowing Club, had been travelling to Dunedin to train with the girls at Port Chalmers in the months leading up to the Lake Wendouree regatta. Johnson said the crew had come together quickly with limited experience as a group.
"We have only rowed together three times before," Johnson, 43, said
To make the opening day even sweeter, Bouskova and Siebenga later joined forces and clinched gold in the women's B double sculls.