EUROPEAN champion Matthew Langridge is confident he can challenge the fastest boat on the planet during next week’s world championships.

The Northwich rower won a silver medal, with James Foad, in Great Britain’s men’s pair during last season’s edition after finishing second behind Olympic champions New Zealand.

The result was the same when the crews clashed during a World Cup regatta in Lucerne last month.

However the margin of the Kiwis’ victory was narrower than previously.

“I wouldn’t say we were happy with that, because we’d rather have won,” said Langridge.

“But we’re still the second fastest boat [in the world] – they’re the only ones to have beaten us.

“It was good to get closer to them, and we felt they were vulnerable.

“We’ve spent the time since then working on ways to close that gap further.

“Mind you, they might have gone away and found an extra few seconds as well! I guess the question is who can improve the most before the worlds.”

Langridge and Foad begin their campaign in France this weekend, when the heats are scheduled to start.

A victory at the European championships in May, when they held off the challenge of France and Serbia, was followed by that second-placed finish – again ahead of Serbs Milos Vasic and Nenad Bedik – in Lucerne.

In between, they were victors Henley Royal Regatta.

However injuries to Foad, which forced the Molesey Boat Club man to sit out the senior trials and as well as a World Cup regatta in Italy, have left the duo short of race practice.

Langridge, now 32, said: “We left Lucerne thinking we’d still not rowed so well, which we took as a positive.

“If we improve, which I think we can, then we can challenge for a gold medal.

“This year has been pretty disrupted, and we’ve been getting results based more on our ability to race rather than because we’ve performed well.

“There hasn’t been a regatta where we’ve found top form, it’s been a case of scraping by at times.

“That’s understandable as we’ve been playing catch-up from the start.

“I know it’s our second season together, so we’re an established crew in that respect, but we’ve not been able to make the progress we would have wanted.”

That doesn’t mean Kiwi pair Hamish Bond and Eric Murray – victors in their past 57 races together – are beyond the British tandem’s reach.

“They’re out in front, obviously,” added Langridge, who learned to row at Northwich Rowing Club.

“But I’m sure we can get to where we want to. We felt better after Lucerne then we did coming away from Henley.

“We know who – and what – our target is. There are no surprises in terms of wondering who will be quick.

“We know the Kiwis are, and they have been consistently for the past few years.

“Everybody else was in Lucerne, so we’ve had a look at them.”

The world championships at Lake Aiguebelette, which doubles up as a qualifier for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio, starts on Sunday morning.

The draw is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday.

Matthew Langridge at the World Rowing Championships

  • 2014 Men’s pair Silver
  • 2013 Men’s double Eighth
  • 2011 Men’s four Gold
  • 2010 Men’s four Fourth
  • 2009 Men’s four Gold
  • 2007 Men’s pair Bronze
  • 2006 Men’s eight Fifth
  • 2005 Men’s quad Seventh
  • 2003 Men’s quad Ninth

Northwich Guardian:

James Foad, left, and Matthew Langridge after winning gold at May's European Championships in Poznan