The banner over the start zone in Qingdao reads Glory on Golden Beach. After a 24-hour weather delay, New Zealand's crews finally got the chance to live up to it.
All seven Kiwi crews took to the water at the World Beach Sprints, battling sand that felt more like half-set concrete than beach. Five have come through to the knockout stages.
Sophie Harrison and Henry Johnston were first off the mark, finishing eighth-fastest in 3:01.84 in the opening time trial of the U19 Mixed Double, enough to go straight through to Wednesday's round of 16.
"We had some good waves going out," Sophie says. "The whole thing was just really clean, so really happy with it."
Henry agreed. "We did everything we needed to do. We got round the buoys the right way, and then coming into the beach we had a good wave, and the exit was really clean."
Matt Dunham, racing the Men's Solo, was hammered by a heavy set of waves on his way out and finished 25th in the preliminary in 2:57.96. Germany's Moritz Wolff topped the 45 starters in 2:37.09.
Only the top eight went straight to the knockouts, meaning a second time trial for the remaining 37 athletes chasing the final eight spots. Dunham, who trains at Ohope Beach, went back out and dug in again.
A timing issue left him without official confirmation until the very end, but he already knew the waves had done the damage.
"Unfortunately, I hit five waves on the first one and about seven on the second time trial, so I was cooked," Dunham says. "I knew it was game over, but I just went down swinging, just to give it the best race I could."
Guy Smith and Leo Bacchus finished fifth in their first U19 Men's Double trial, clocking 2:47.85, then backed it up with 2:59.11 in the second to finish fourth and lock in a knockout race tomorrow afternoon.
Tallulah Kubaisi-Gallagher and Elizabeth Keddell needed a top-three finish in their second trial after sitting eighth in the first. They delivered, clocking 3:17.80 to finish top, almost eight seconds clear of the next crew, from Spain. They'll race in tomorrow afternoon's quarterfinals.
Erin James and Seb Fulton went straight through. Fourth in the opening Mixed Double trial in 2:43.09, just over three seconds behind Australia's pace-setting 2:39.75, they'll race the knockouts Wednesday afternoon, weather permitting.
Only two Kiwi crews were eliminated on a packed opening day.
Dunham summed up the mood out on the sand. "I think all of us toss it up to the gods before we even get to the start line. We know what the sport's like, and you've just got to send it, and fingers crossed it's on your side."
