New Zealand’s Olympic Champion, Mahe Drysdale, added a remarkable fifth Henley title to his career tally at Henley Royal Regatta this morning.

Competing in the open single scull event, the Diamond Challenge Sculls, he made this man-killing event - on one of the toughest courses in international rowing - look easy and won in 8:11 by a big margin over Hungarian International Gabor Csepregi.

“It’s a Regatta I always enjoy coming to”, said Drysdale. “It’s always great to race these guys that you don’t know much about because you never know what they’re going to throw at you and I’ve really enjoyed the Regatta”.

Mahe Drysdale vs Gabor Csepregi

Mirka Knapkova, from the Czech Republic will seek to emulate Drysdale in this afternoon’s programme in the equivalent women’s event. The Olympic Champion, who based herself in Henley in the lead up to the 2012 Games, also has four titles going into the finals today.

With 10 more finals to come this afternoon the level of anticipation is rising for both the Ladies’ Challenge Plate final for student men’s eight between the titans of US rowing – Yale and Washington – and the Grand Challenge Cup final between the German and British national men’s eights crews - both promising to excite.

Elsewhere this morning there were no upsets in the two elite quadruple scull events with the British national crews winning by significant margins, although the world cup winners of a fortnight ago - Angus Groom, Sam Townsend, Graeme Thomas and Peter Lambert - were warned for their steering in beating their German opposition.

Townsend joined the club of five-times title winners here with today's win and said: “We’re very chuffed with that, it’s always nice to win. It’s a fifth win for me in the Queen Mother and if you’d said I was going to do that I wouldn’t have believed you."

A tighter race ensued for the British four of Nathaniel Reilly O’Donnell, Scott Durant, Alan Sinclair and Tom Ransley – racing as Leander Club and the University of London. They faced the Greek four who were silver medallists to them at the European Championships at the end of May.