Kim Crow has posted Australia's best result in single sculls in 27 years, finishing with a silver medal at the World Cup 2 regatta in Switzerland.
Premier sculler Kim Crow has left Rowing Australia with a major Olympic selection dilemma after producing the nation's best result in single sculls in 27 years on Sunday night (AEST).
Crow grabbed silver at the World Cup 2 regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland in a big-hearted row where she led from the start until the final 50m.
Chinese veteran Xiuyun Zhang overhauled the Victorian just before the line to win by 0.93 seconds and deny Crow the most unlikely of World Cup victories.
But it was still the best result by an Australian in the women's single sculls since Adair Ferguson in 1985, and it also left Czech world champion Mirka Knapkova in her wake.
A silver-medallist in the double sculls with Kerry Hore in both the 2010 and 2011 world titles, Crow had been selected to contest the double at the London Games with Brooke Pratley but is now looking a genuine gold medal chance on her own.
Crow entered, and won, the single sculls race at the final Olympic qualifying regatta last week only as an insurance policy following a rib injury to Pratley.
Three races at the qualifying regatta appeared to take their toll on the 26-year-old as she held a large lead with 500m to go before fading badly for Zhang to pass her.
The daughter of former Essendon ruckman Max, Crow's medal was the third silver Australia's rowing team won in Lucerne, which starts their international campaign heading to London.
Drew Ginn's new-model Oarsome Foursome and the defending Olympic champion men's double sculls crew of Scott Brennan and David Crawshay also finished as runners-up in Switzerland.
In their first international hit-out of the year, Ginn's Australian men's four led the defending world and Olympic champion British crew for 1750m before being overrun at the death.
In the end, stroke Josh Dunkley-Smith, Ginn, James Chapman and Will Lockwood faded to finish 1.14 seconds behind Team GB's priority boat (5min 50.84sec).
Ginn and Dunkley-Smith were in the men's four which took bronze at last year's world titles and, on the evidence of their first international race of 2012, they are more competitive again with fellow Victorian Lockwood and NSW veteran Chapman behind them.
British coach Juergen Grobler considers the four his magic boat and he's also changed its crew - boasting Alex Gregory, Pete Reed, Tom James and Andrew Triggs Hodge - to ensure they keep their stranglehold.
While Australian coach Chris O'Brien was disappointed with his four's fading finish, he said the signs were encouraging considering it was still early in their Olympic preparations.
"They (Team GB) will know they have a contest on their hands," said O'Brien.
"We're certainly looking forward to the challenge (in London) and this result will definitely give us some added motivation."
Brennan and Crawshay pipped France on the line for second in a double sculls race controlled by Germany while Australia's self-titled Motley Crew - the women's eight - finished their big week in Lucerne, which included Olympic qualification, with fourth.
