Bond confident of defending world title

Hamish Bond has done the work, is feeling strong and is confident of defending his world pairs title at Bled in September.
Bond (25) and Eric Murray have won the title for the past two years and are keen for a hat trick.
"We have confidence in the work we've done," Bond said.
"We have prepared well and just have to go over to Europe and put our race together."
Bond and Murray have different personalities but they gel on the water.
"I respect Eric as a rower because he is committed to do well," Bond said. "We know that each of us will give as much as we can. We have a close relationship and listen to each other."
The New Zealand team can qualify boats for the London Olympics at the world championships in Bled, Slovenia.
Bond and Murray have been unbeaten for the past two years and want to keep that record going.
"I think this year will be better than last year," Bond said. "We have had a better build-up and feel more confident.
"[But] we won't get a gauge to where we sit until our first World Cup race in Hamburg. We are looking forward to that."
Bond thinks the main opposition will come from the Great Britain pair of Peter Reed and Andrew Triggs-Hodge whom they narrowly beat at Lake Karapiro last November. They won the first World Cup race of the year in Munich last weekend.
The Canadian pair who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2006 will be another threat.
"It gives a bit of an indication of who is going fast. But we really won't know until we are halfway down the course at Hamburg," Bond said.
The in-house racing and testing at Lake Karapiro has shown Bond and Murray remain the fastest in New Zealand over 2000m.
Murray was the fastest on 5min 43sec and Bond next on 5min 46sec.
Bond and Murray are coached by Dick Tonks, who has a reputation for pushing his crews.
"Dick sets out our training programme and we have little input into it," Bond said. "He has had a lot of success and we respect him for it. We train lots and we train hard.
"We may not enjoy the training at the time but it has proved effective. Every time we are out on the water he is there." They train six days a week. On two days they have three sessions. A typical three-session day is a 20km row at 8am, high-intensity power session at 11.30am and a 12km kayak in the afternoon.
Bond had shoulder problems and a stress fracture in his ribs after the World Cup and before the world championships last year. The on-water training was reduced to one session a day and was replaced with land training at night.
"I have worked on rehab, strengthening work and balanced out the other muscles that are not used in rowing," Bond said. Bond leaves New Zealand on June 10 and will be out of the country for three months. The New Zealand team will be based in Belgium and travel to regattas from there.
He will compete in World Cup events in Hamburg, Germany, on June 17 and in Lucerne, Switzerland, on July 8.
His big test will come at the world championships in Bled in September.