Now and again I find some great human interest stories that I enjoy immensely - this one is from my home patch down under in New Zealand: An emerging and unique sporting rivalry between two world champions is going to make New Zealand's Beijing Olympic single scull rowing selection a huge nightmare for the selectors. Only one entrant is allowed from each country in rowing events, unlike athletics which are allowed a maximum of three in each event.
On the one hand there is Mahe Drysdale, the world champion single sculler for the last three consecutive years.
On the other hand there is Rob Waddell, former world champion and the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Waddell is reportedly Drysdale's idol and mentor during recent years.
After his Olympic success, Rob Waddell temporarily retired from rowing and joined Team New Zealand as a grinder in the last two America's Cup yachting campaigns.
Rob Waddell has shed 16kg and returned to competitive rowing. During last weekend he and Mahe Drysdale clashed in the NZ Championship event. Waddell won convincingly enough by four seconds.
Just who will be selected later in the year for the single sculls event, is anybody's guess at this stage. One of the two will, undoubtably, the other in another rowing event. The one thing you can guarantee, injuries apart, is that both of these champion rowers will be competing at Beijing next year.
Rowing like athletics is a truly world event, and it is a great achievement for a little country like New Zealand to have the two best single scullers in the world competing against great rowing nations from Europe and North America.
