GOLD is the sole focus for York City Rowing Club ace Tom Ransley in New Zealand.

The 25-year-old and his Great Britain eight crew-mates are gunning for title-holders Germany in the final of the World Championships.

The eagerly-anticipated race will bring down the curtain on the regatta at Lake Karapiro, about 100 miles south of Auckland.

And Ransley is determined to make sure the GB eight improve on their fifth-placed finish behind Germany at last year’s event in Poland.

While Britain and Germany stormed into the final at the first attempt on Tuesday, four other crews had to come through gruelling repechage races on Thursday.

The USA and New Zealand emerged from the first heat, with Australia and the Netherlands joining them in the final from heat two.

University of York graduate Ransley was delighted with the performance in the heats, which came after two weeks of build-up in New Zealand.

“The heat was a good run-out for the eight,” said Ransley, after his crew clocked five minutes 25.34 seconds to beat Australia by 2.6 seconds.

“I think there was a feeling in our crew of wanting to get out on the lake and start racing, having seen many of the crews in the GB squad get under way and start racing in the days preceding our first race.

“It was a solid start for us and now we’re focused on the final ahead of us.”

The eight will be aiming to follow in the footsteps of the three Great Britain crews that have so far struck gold.

After Paralympic champion Tom Aggar won GB’s first gold on Thursday, Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter yesterday added the world title to their Beijing Olympic gold with a dominant display in the lightweight men’s double sculls.

The new-look women’s quadruple scull – including Harrogate-born Debbie Flood – also topped the podium.

The women’s quad were world champions for three years in a row from 2005 to 2007 but this gold is arguably the greatest of the lot because it was won by a team put together less than two months ago.

Fran Houghton returned to the boat after a year out following hip surgery along with Beijing team-mate Flood and Annie Vernon and Beth Rodford, who won her first World Championship medal.