Campbell has had an impressive World Cup season

Campbell, who took gold in the first World Cup race of the season, was troubled by a cold in the heats but won through at the second time of asking.

Tom James and Colin Smith won their coxless pairs repechage after James overcame a respiratory tract infection.

Antonia van Deventer was another winner in the lightweight single sculls.

The 28-year-old trailed France's Coralie Ribeil for the majority of the race but overpowered her in a sprint finish.

Her time of seven minutes and 55.5 seconds was a 10-second improvement on her time in the heats.

"This blows anything I have ever done out of the water," she said.

"The semi-final will be the biggest race of my career but if I keep my head and relax then I have a real chance of making the final."

I'm feeling like a caged tiger and I can't wait now Alan Campbell

However, Baz Moffat and Jessica-Jane Eddie are out of the women's pair after finishing last in their heat.

Welsh oarsman James insisted he was back at full fitness after booking his place in the semi-final.

He said: "I am 100% again, I'm back on form.

"We are a new combination and we still have a few cards up our sleeve to use in the semis that the other crews don't know about.

"We are up against the Australians again but we are not afraid of them."

Campbell faces a powerful trio of rivals in Norwegian Olympic champion Olaf Tufte, Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic and Holland's Sjoerd Hamburger as he bids for a place in Saturday's final.

"I've had to row one more race than them but it's not a problem," he said.

"As soon as I picked up a cold, my coach and I decided not to risk it in the first round and go for the repechage.