Irish rowers rounded out World Cup II with four medals: one gold, one silver, and two bronze. After a long week in Lucerne between the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta and World Cup II, it's finally time for the high-performance team to return to Ireland for the last lead-up to the Olympic Games.

It's bronze for Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh in the A Final of the Women's Pair. Ireland and the Netherlands were the quickest boats off the start line, but with a bit of a wobble in the second quarter, they passed through the halfway mark in fourth position. Finding their rhythm over the next block saw them push ahead of the Greek crew into podium positions. At the World Championships last September, this duo finished in fourth place, just outside of the medals and have started into this season on a good foot, picking up bronze medals in both World Cup I and now World Cup II. This is a crew to keep your eye on this summer.

Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh won bronze in the A Final of the Women's Pair at the World Cup II 

Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy also take bronze in the Lightweight Men's Double. Gabriel Soares and Stefano Oppo of Italy shot off the start, gaining a two second lead over the rest of the field in the first quarter of the race. O'Donovan and McCarthy held second place for the race's first half, but there was absolutely nothing between themselves and the Swiss double from the get-go. Throughout the entire race, not more than .3 of a second separated them, and coming to the line, the Swiss double came out on top by .18 of a second.

Alison Bergin (Fermoy RC) and Zoe Hyde (Tralee RC) just missed out on the podium, finishing in fourth place in the Women's Double. It was USA, Australia and Norway who took home the silverware after a tight race in the A Final this afternoon. Through the 1500-meter marker, there were just three seconds between first place and sixth place, with every crew winding it up for the closing stretch to try and get into the top three positions. Doing their fastest quarter in the final stage of the race, Hyde and Bergin did enough to move themselves ahead of the Chinese into fourth place, but it wasn't enough for them to bump up into the podium positions.

It's fifth place in the Lightweight Women's Double for Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey. This was the opening event for this crew this season, having last raced together at the World Championships. Off the start, the crew from Cork found themselves in fifth position and sat there until the finish. GB, New Zealand, and the USA got ahead in the initial stages of the race and finished in that order to win the gold, silver, and bronze medals.

John Kearney (UCC RC) and Ross Corrigan (Portora BC) finish 6th in the A Final of the Men's Pair. GB, the race winners and 2023 World silver medalists, took the lead from the start with the reigning World Champions from Switzerland close behind. In a final push towards the line the Spanish crew put themselves between the two crews to claim the silver medal. This is the first time that this combination has raced together, and with more time in the boat and some magic from coach Nicolo Maurogiovanni, there's certainly more to come from the Irish pair.

University of Galway's Brian Colsh and UCC's Andrew Sheehan finished out their first World Cup by winning the B Final of the Men's Double. Up against Leudar Suarez Sanjul and Roberto Carlos Paz Sanchez of Cuba, the two-boat race was neck and neck for the first 500m, with just half a second between the two crews. It was during the middle section of the race that Colsh and Sheehan found their stride and pulled out ahead of the Cubans. The two U23 athletes will have their eyes set on the World Championships in Canada in August.

World Cup II Results (Irish interest)

• Lightweight Women's Single A Final -> GOLD
• PR2 Men's Single (O'Donnell) Final -> SILVER
• Women's Pair A Final -> BRONZE
• Lightweight Men's Double A Final -> BRONZE
• Women's Double A Final -> 4th
• PR2 Men's Single (McGowan) Final -> 4th
• Lightweight Women's Double A Final -> 5th
• Men's Pair A Final -> 6th
• Men's Double B Final -> 1st

Ireland pocketed two medals and progressed to five A Finals on day two of racing in Lucerne, Switzerland, at rowing's World Cup II. Siobhán McCrohan takes gold in the Lightweight Women's Single, and Tiarnán O'Donnell opens his international career with a silver medal in the PR2 Men's Single.

Tribesmen Rowing Club's Siobhán McCrohan was heading into today's A Final as the favourite as the reigning World Champion. There was no getting past McCrohan once she got going, taking the lead from the first strokes and holding her position right through to the finish. Holding a consistent rate at 33 to 34 strokes per minute throughout the race, there was no phasing her as some of her competitors raised it to as high as 41 strokes into the finish. Siobhán crossed the line with clear water, claiming the gold medal.

Limerick native Tiarnán O'Donnell wins silver in the PR2 Men's Single

Limerick native Tiarnán O'Donnell wins silver in the PR2 Men's Single in his first international event. Having made the switch from wheelchair basketball to rowing just last May, O'Donnell has come a long way in a year, bringing home silverware from the World stage. It was Italy's Stefanoni who led from the start again, but by the half way mark O'Donnell had moved himself into that second place position. Going bowball to bowball in the middle 1000m with the second Italian sculler, it was Ireland who broke away first taking second place.

Steven McGowan also competed in the Final of the PR2 Men's Single and finished in fourth place, just outside of the medal positions. Staying with the pack through the entire race, McGowan pulled out the fastest 500m split in the last quarter of the race, gaining over three seconds on the Italian sculler in third place. An impressive race for his first event in the single having previously only raced in the double with Katie O'Brien.

Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh progress to tomorrow's A Final in the Women's Pair with a win in their Semifinal this morning. Murtagh and Keogh led from the start but had Greece sitting right on their bow up until the halfway mark. By the finish line, Ireland had clear water on the remaining crews. The Irish pair, coached by Giuseppe DeVita, won silver at World Cup I in Varese earlier this year, and they'll be going up against 2023 World Championships gold and silver medalists, the Netherlands and Australia tomorrow in the race for medals.
Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde put down another race win today sending them into the Women's Double A Final. Tomorrow they're up against China, USA, Australia, Norway and New Zealand. At last months European Championships Norway won gold with Bergin and Hyde finishing in fifth place. Just three seconds separates the six crews from the Semifinal times so it's anyone's game tomorrow.

The Lightweight Women's Double of Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey are into the A Final after winning their Repechage this morning. Sitting in second place behind China for the majority of the race, it was in the final 500 meters that Cremen and Casey turned things around pushing their bow ahead of the Chinese crew. They're up against New Zealand, GB, USA, China and Canada tomorrow in the final.

Olympic Champions Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy

The Switzerland Lightweight Men's Double held their ground against Olympic Champions Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy taking the win in the second Semifinal. In their usual style, the Skibbereen rowers held a solid start and began to make their way up the field as the race progressed. It was in the final quarter where they brought it up that the Swiss moved along with them and just managed to hold them off. Tomorrow's A Final is one not to be missed!

The Men's Pair of John Kearney and Ross Corrigan did just enough to make it into tomorrow's Final, finishing third in their Semifinal behind Spain and the second GB crew. Sitting in fourth place coming into the final quarter, Kearney and Corrigan pulled out the fastest 500 meter split of the race to put them ahead of the pair from the USA.

Brian Colsh and Andrew Sheehan just missed out on a spot in the A Final finishing one second behind the fourth place cut off. Colsh and Sheehan stayed well in contention with the Italian, French and New Zealand doubles that have qualified for the Pairs Olympics, showing great potential for them as an U23 crew. Tomorrow they're the first crew to race from Ireland in the B Final against Cuba.

Day 1 Results (Irish interest)

Lightweight Women's Single A Final -> GOLD
PR2 Men's Single (O'Donnell) Final -> SILVER
PR2 Men's Single (McGowan) Final -> 4th
Women's Pair A/B Semi 1st -> A Final
Women's Double A/B Semi 1st -> A Final
Lightweight Women's Double Repechage 1st -> A Final
Lightweight Men's Double A/B Semi 2nd -> A Final
Men's Pair Heat A/B Semi 3rd -> A Final
Men's Double Repechage 5th -> B Final

Sunday Schedule (IST)

8:25am - Men's Double B Final
9:36am - Women's Pair A Final
9:49am - Men's Pair A Final
10:44am - Lightweight Women's Double A Final
10:58am - Lightweight Men's Double A Final
12:19pm - Women's Double A Final

World Cup II is off to a good start for Irish rowing. The weather stayed good in the morning for the majority of the racing. However, the Rotsee saw a big change in the afternoon, with strong winds, rain, and thunder, which saw the afternoon session postponed.

2023 World Champion Siobhán McCrohan dominated her heat of the Lightweight Women's Single, leading from the start and finishing almost 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. There was only one spot up for grabs for direct progression into the A Final, and McCrohan was making sure that place was hers. Great Britain, Uruguay, Japan, Czechia and the Netherlands will have to go through the repechage to make it to the race for medals tomorrow.

Galway girls Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh are through to the Women's Pair A/B Semi-Final after a win in their heat this morning. Ireland led from the start but it was the crew from the United States that stuck with them as the race progressed. Stroke seat of the US double, Jessica Thoennes, was part of the silver medal-winning eight at last year's World Championships and bow seat Azja Czajkowski won gold in the U23 Women's eight. Murtagh and Keogh are up first for Ireland tomorrow morning at 8:27 am for the A/B Semi final.

A new combination in the Men's Pair sees John Kearney sitting in with Ross Corrigan instead of Nathan Timoney as he returns from a small injury. Kearney and Corrigan worked their way up from the back of the pack, moving through the first marker in fifth place and sitting in fourth into the last 500m. Making their move at this point, Ireland was the fastest-moving boat on the water in the last quarter and took second place behind the reigning World Champions, Great Britain.

Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde pulled out all the stops in the Women's Double, winning their Heat and progressing to the A/B Semifinals with the fastest time out of the three Heats. In quite a tight race, less than three seconds was separating the four crews through the 1500m mark. Tomorrow morning, they race the Semifinal with the top three crews progressing to the A Final.

U23 athletes Brian Colsh of University of Galway BC and Andrew Sheehan of UCC RC, raced the Men's Double this morning. Only one boat from each of the heats would progress to the A Final, so it's into the Repechage for Ireland with Cuba, France, Norway, New Zealand and Italy. The first four across the line will make it to the A Final with the remaining two going to the B Final.

The Lightweight Women's Double of Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey finished third in their Heat, just outside the top two spots that got direct qualification to Sunday's A Final. They head into the Repechage with the quickest time and it'll be the fastest two that secure their place in the race for medals.

The Tokyo Olympic Champions, Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy are back in the Lightweight Men's Double and have started as they mean to go on. A win in their Heat sends them directly into the A/B Semi which will take place tomorrow morning. 2024 European Champions, Switzerland, won the first heat with Italy, the European silver medallists winning the second heat. With their past success, its O'Donovan and McCarthy that will be the crew that every country will want to avoid in the draw.

Ireland's two PR2 Men's Scullers went head to head in today's Prelim Race. This was the first race for Steven McGowan in the single, and Tiarnán O'Donnell's first international race. Stefanoni from Italy took the lead initially and held his position right through the race, but there was only three seconds between second and fifth place. O'Donnell took fourth place and McGowan took fifth. With such tight margins it's all to play for in tomorrow's final.

Day 1 Results (Irish interest)

• Lightweight Women's Single Heat 1st -> A Final
• Women's Pair Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
• Women's Double Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
• Lightweight Men's Double Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
• Men's Pair Heat 2nd -> A/B Semi
• Men's Double Heat 4th -> Repechage
• Lightweight Women's Double Heat 3rd -> Repechage
• PR2 Men's Single (O'Donnell) Preliminary Race 4th -> Final
• PR2 Men's Single (McGowan) Preliminary Race 5th -> Final

Saturday Schedule (IST)

• 8:27am - Women's Pair A/B Semi
• 8:37am - Men's Pair A/B Semi
• 8:42am - Women's Double A/B Semi
• 8:52am - Men's Double Repechage
• 10:30am - Lightweight Women's Double Repechage
• 10:35am - Lightweight Men's Double A/B Semi
• 11:15am - PR2 Men's Single Final
• 11:48am - Lightweight Women's Single Final

Rowing Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Antonio Maurogiovanni, has announced the athletes that will represent Ireland at World Cup II, and he has also reviewed this week's Final Olympic Qualification Regatta which saw Ireland's women's four qualify for Paris 2024.

"The Final Olympic Qualification Regatta is notoriously challenging, especially since only two crews in most boat classes secure Olympic spots, creating a high-pressure environment for athletes.
Despite these challenges, our team performed admirably over the past few days. We managed to make the A Finals in all three events we entered and successfully qualified the Women’s Four for the Paris Olympics," Maurogiovanni said.

Rowing Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Antonio Maurogiovanni

"The team's strong performance can be attributed to the rigorous preparation conducted both in Cork and during our camp in Varese. This thorough preparation undoubtedly contributed to our success", he noted.

"Rowing Ireland had one crew in 2012 and three crews in 2016 to qualifying six crews in 2020 and eight (including a Para crew) in 2024"

"With the addition of the Women’s Four, we have now qualified a record number of seven boats for the Olympics, along with one boat for the Paralympics. This brings our total of eight boats qualified, with 18 athletes set to compete in Paris this summer, making it the largest team we have ever sent to the Olympics", Maurogiovanni added.

"Notably, Konan Pazzaia, who was part of our U23 Men’s squad last year and won a gold medal in the Men’s Double at the U23 World Championships, finished an impressive 6th out of 32 scullers. His near qualification at such a young age highlights his immense potential for the future", he said.

"Unfortunately, Sanita did not achieve the result she deserved despite convincingly winning her heat and semifinal" he commented.

The strongest of 57 National Olympic Committee (NOC) teams will be Romania and the United States (12 boats), Great Britain and the Netherlands (10 boats), Australia and New Zealand (9 boats), Italy (8 boats), Ireland and Germany (7 boats) and finally Switzerland (6 boats).

Rowing Ireland went from having one crew in 2012 and three crews in 2016 to qualifying six crews in 2020 and eight (including a Para crew) in 2024.

"Our coaches team, medical staff, and team managers have been instrumental in this success, dedicating significant effort to training the crews and providing invaluable assistance throughout the training camp and the racing week" he said.

"We will review the overall situation and soon finalise the official Olympic team and prepare it for the Games" he said.

"As we shift our focus to the Olympic Games in July, we are preparing for our next challenge at World Cup II in Lucerne this coming weekend. We aim to get as much information as possible and achieve positive results there to bolster our preparations for Paris", Maurogiovanni concluded.

Racing will take place from the 24th May – 26th May in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Selected Irish Crews for Rowing World Cup II

Women’s Pair
Fiona Murtagh (University of Galway BC)
Aifric Keogh (Grainne Mhaol)

Men’s Pair
John Kearney (University College Cork RC)
Ross Corrigan (Portora BC)

Women’s Double
Alison Bergin (Fermoy RC)
Zoe Hyde (Tralee RC)

Men’s Double
Brian Colsh (University of Galway BC)
Andrew Sheehan (University College Cork RC)

Lightweight Women’s Double
Margaret Cremen (University College Cork RC)
Aoife Casey (Skibbereen RC)

Lightweight Men’s Double
Paul O'Donovan (Skibbereen RC)
Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen RC)

Lightweight Women’s Single
Siobhán McCrohan (Tribesmen RC)

PR2 Men’s Singles
Steven McGowan (Galway RC)
Tiarnán O'Donnell (Lee RC)

Coaching Team
Antonio Maurogiovanni - High Performance Director
Dominic Casey - Head Lightweight Coach
Giuseppe DeVita - Head Women's Coach
Ashlee Rowe - Women's Coach
Nicolo Maurogiovanni - Men's Coach
David Breen - Paralympic Coach

Support Staff
Michael O'Rourke - Team Manager
Heather O'Brien - Team Physio

Another Irish rowing boat is secured for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta comes to a close in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe and Imogen Magner got the job done, winning the final of the Women's Four and in turn, have booked their tickets to Paris 2024. Similar to the preliminary race, it was Denmark who got off the start quickest, and by the halfway mark, there was a clear separation between the top two crew, Denmark and Ireland, and the remainder of the field.

Ireland beat Denmark to secure WX4 place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Rowing Regatta

In an incredible display of the strength of the crew from Ireland, they turned the race around in the last 500m to take the lead off the Danish crew.

The Irish women's four of Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe and Imogen Magner celebrate their Paris 2024 qualification result in Lucerne

Just three years ago, the Women's Four raced here in Lucerne for the Tokyo Final Olympic Qualification Regatta. Having won their event in 2021, they went on to be the first-ever female team to win an Olympic medal in Ireland's history by taking home a bronze medal. The focus for Hegarty, Long, Lambe and Magner now switches to the Olympic Games as they prepare for the biggest event in the rowing calendar.

Ireland's Sanita Puspure missed out on Olympic qualification finishing 5th in the A Final of the Women's Single

Sanita Puspure misses out

Sanita Puspure misses out on Olympic qualification finishing 5th in the A Final of the Women's Single. Leading right through the race, it was the final quarter that didn't quite come together for Puspure. Along with a crab in the final strokes, it wasn't enough to keep her in the top two qualifying positions and it's Spain and Switzerland that progress to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Konan Pazzaia 2024 Olympic campaign ends

Unfortunately, for 22-year-old Konan Pazzaia, his 2024 Olympic campaign ends here after a 6th place finish in the A Final of the Men's Single. The 2023 U23 World gold medallist had a gutsy start, getting his bow ahead from the get go. Just six seconds separated the crews from the Semifinals and all of the scullers came for a battle in the final. Through the 1500m mark only three seconds split first place and last.

Down to the line it was the Romanian sculler and the sculler from the USA that took the two qualification positions up for grabs. Pazzaia has a bright future ahead and is definitely an athlete to keep your eye on.

Final Results
Women's Four Final -> 1st + OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION
Women's Single A Final -> 5th
Men's Single A Final -> 6th

Irish Qualified Boats for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

• Lightweight Men's Double
• Lightweight Women's Double
• Men's Double
• Women's Double
• Men's Pair
• Women's Pair
• Women's Four
• PR2 Mixed Double

Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Team

High Performance Director - Antonio Maurogiovanni

Women's Four
Emily Hegarty - Skibbereen Rowing Club
Eimear Lambe - Old Collegians Boat Club
Natalie Long - Lee Valley Rowing Club
Imogen Magner - Carlow Rowing Club

COACH - Giuseppe DeVita

Women's Single
Sanita Puspure - Old Collegians Boat Club

COACH - Ashlee Rowe

Men's Single
Konan Pazzaia - Queen's University Belfast Boat Club

COACH - Fran Keane

Staff
Team Physio - Heather O'Brien
Team Doctor - George Fuller

The rowing crews from Ireland continue to tick the boxes at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland. Another good day of racing has seen all three boats progress to their respective A Finals, and they are in with a shot at Olympic qualification.

Konan Pazzaia, coached by Head Men's Coach Fran Keane, had a stellar performance again this morning. He won his quarterfinal to move forward into the A/B Semifinal this afternoon. After a short turnaround, he was back on the water to fight for a spot in the A final.

Up against Tokyo silver medalist Kjetil Borch from Norway, Pazzaia held his composure through the first three-quarters of the Semi, sitting in the leading position. Coming into the finish, the Romanian sculler made his move and came through to win the race, but Konan was secure in his position for the A Final, finishing in third position. He needs to be in the top two in tomorrow's final to make it to Paris and he'll be up against Norway, USA, Romania, GB and Italy.

Sanita Puspure has put herself right in contention for the ticket to Paris

It's down to the final six scullers in the Women's single and after today's performance, Sanita Puspure has put herself right in contention for the ticket to Paris, heading into tomorrow's final with the quickest time from the Semifinals. Home favourite, 20-year-old Aurelia-Maxima Janzen, stuck to Sanita for the first half of the race, staying less than a second behind. Through the 1000m mark, Puspure's race experience stood by her as she began to pull away from the other scullers, increasing her gap right up to the finish line, where she finished about a length and a half up.

Tomorrow she goes up against Japan, Czechia, Spain, Switzerland and Slovenia and it's the top two positions that Sanita will have her eyes on to secure her place in Paris.

Follow the Racing

On the World Rowing website  here will be a live race tracker and live audio commentary for every race, and live video streaming on Tuesday, from 9:00 onwards for all A-Finals. 

Tuesday Schedule (IST)

9:50 am - Women's Four Final
11:40 am - Men's Single A Final
11:58 am - Women's Single A Final

Day 2 Results

M1x Quarterfinal 1st -> A/B Semi
W1x A/B Semi 1st -> A Final
M1x A/B Semi 3rd -> A Final
Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Team
High Performance Director - Antonio Maurogiovanni

Women's Four

Emily Hegarty - Skibbereen Rowing Club
Eimear Lambe - Old Collegians Boat Club
Natalie Long - Lee Valley Rowing Club
Imogen Magner - Carlow Rowing Club
COACH - Giuseppe DeVita

Women's Single

Sanita Puspure - Old Collegians Boat Club
COACH - Ashlee Rowe

Men's Single

Konan Pazzaia - Queen's University Belfast Boat Club
COACH - Fran Keane

Staff

Team Physio - Heather O'Brien
Team Doctor - George Fuller

It has been a successful start for the Irish rowing crews, as all boats progress directly into the next round of the final Olympic Qualification Regatta.

The weather has stayed good all morning on the Rotsee, with calm conditions and clear skies.

Women's Four

The Women's Four kicked off the regatta for Ireland, finishing second, just behind the Danish Four in their preliminary race. Denmark had the best start of the group, taking the lead from the get-go. Ireland stayed hot on their tails, keeping overlap up to the last 500m. It was clear water, then back to Poland, Japan, Spain and Chile, leaving Ireland in a good position in the race for lanes. It's all to play for on Tuesday, where the top two will earn their spots on the Paris line-up.

Women's Single

Sanita Puspure of Old Collegians Boat Club with her coach, Ashlee Rowe at the at Final Olympic Qualification Regatta

Puspure showed everyone what she's here for in the Women's Single this morning, with a dominant performance in her heat. Taking a length off the field in the opening 500m, Sanita made it difficult for the other scullers to keep up right from the start. She continued to distance herself from the different crews as the race progressed, finishing over 12 seconds ahead of second place. She goes directly into the A/B Semi-final in the fastest time from the Heats.

Men's Single

Ireland's Konan Pazzaia won his heat at the final Olympic Qualification Regatta

Konan Pazzaia rounded up the day on a high for Ireland, winning his heat and directly progressing to the next round of racing. With 30 athletes racing in the Men's Singles, it means a jam-packed schedule for racing over the three days. By avoiding the Repechage, Pazzaia has one less race on the legs before his two races tomorrow. The top three scullers in tomorrow's Quarter-final will move on to the A/BQuarterfinal.

Day 1 Results

Women's Four Preliminary Race 2nd -> Final
Women's Single Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
Men's Single Heat 1st -> Quarterfinal
Final Olympic QualificatQuarterfinalTeam
High-Performance Director - Antonio Maurogiovanni

Women's Four

Emily Hegarty - Skibbereen Rowing Club
Eimear Lambe - Old Collegians Boat Club
Natalie Long - Lee Valley Rowing Club
Imogen Magner - Carlow Rowing Club
COACH - Giuseppe DeVita

Women's Single

Sanita Puspure - Old Collegians Boat Club
COACH - Ashlee Rowe

Men's Single

Konan Pazzaia - Queen's University Belfast Boat Club
COACH - Fran Keane

Staff

Team Physio - Heather O'Brien
Team Doctor - George Fuller

One of the most brutal events on the World Rowing calendar kicks off tomorrow morning; the Final Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta, also frequently known as the 'Regatta of Death'. Three days of racing will take place on the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland where nearly 60 nations put their foot in the race for the final tickets to Paris.

Three crews from Ireland will take to the water, hoping to come away with the golden tickets on Tuesday afternoon.

The Women's Four of Emily Hegarty, Eimear Lambe, Natalie Long and Imogen Magner are getting the racing started for the Irish tomorrow morning for their preliminary race. All six crews in this event will progress to the final on Tuesday where just the top two crews will make it to this summer's Olympics. Having qualified the Women's Four for Tokyo in 2021 at this event, there are strong hopes for this crew following their performance at World Cup I earlier in the year. A crew to watch out for is the Danish four that finished just behind Ireland at World Cup I in Varese, Italy.

The first three scullers across the line on Sunday in Sanita Puspure's Heat will move into the A/B Semifinals on Monday. After spending time in the Women's Double and Women's Four over the last few years Puspure is back in the single looking to qualify for what would be her fourth Olympic Games. Due to the relocation of the host nation entry, there are three spots up for grabs for Paris in the Women's Single this year. Unfortunately, that additional spot is to be allocated to the highest placing country that does not already have a boat qualified for the Games. As Ireland already has six boats secured, Sanita will need to finish in the top two to guarantee her place in the single.

In by far the largest entered event, Konan Pazzaia from Queen's University Belfast BC will be going up against 29 other athletes in the Men's Single. Similar to the Women's Single, there are three spots up for grabs in the Men's Single but Pazzaia will again need to be in the top two to secure a place for Paris. In tomorrow's Heat, Konan faces USA, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Ukraine and Sweden with the fastest four progressing directly into the Quarterfinals on Monday.

Sunday Schedule (IST)
10:17am - W4- Preliminary Race
10:41am - W1x Heat
10:53am - M1x Heat

Selected Irish Team

Women's Four

Emily Hegarty - Skibbereen Rowing Club
Eimear Lambe - Old Collegians Boat Club
Natalie Long - Lee Valley Rowing Club
Imogen Magner - Carlow Rowing Club
COACH - Giuseppe DeVita

Women's Single

Sanita Puspure - Old Collegians Boat Club
COACH - Ashlee Rowe

Men's Single

Konan Pazzaia - Queen's University Belfast Boat Club
COACH - Fran Keane

Staff

High Performance Director - Antonio Maurogiovanni
Team Physio - Heather O'Brien
Team Doctor - George Fuller

Rowing Ireland, the governing body for rowing in Ireland, has launched an exciting new initiative to engage schools and clubs across the country in the world of rowing ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The initiative, called "Catch Us If You Can," aims to mirror the rigorous training schedule of Rowing Ireland's High-Performance athletes and promote the sport of rowing at the grassroots level.

As part of the initiative, participating schools will compete for the chance to win a state-of-the-art Concept 2 rowing machine for their institution. The prize is both an incentive for schools to participate and also a valuable addition to their sports facilities, encouraging ongoing engagement with rowing long into the future at the grassroots level.

"Catch Us If You Can" will feature a series of inspiring and insightful videos showcasing the personal experiences and training insights of Rowing Ireland's High-Performance athletes as they prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. These videos will offer a behind-the-scenes look into the dedication and determination required to compete at the highest level of rowing.

The initiative will extend to Rowing Ireland's 100 clubs, offering members the chance to "Catch" the HP athletes in their training pursuits leading up to the Olympics. This inclusive approach will foster a sense of camaraderie and connection within the broader rowing community, uniting athletes of all levels in their passion for the sport.

"Catch Us If You Can" builds upon the success of Rowing Ireland's existing Get Going...Get Rowing programme

Derek Bowen, Manager of the Get Rowing Programme, expressed his excitement for the initiative, stating, "We are thrilled to launch 'Catch Us If You Can' ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. This initiative not only provides a unique opportunity for schools and clubs to engage with the sport of rowing but also allows us to share the incredible journey of our high-performance athletes as they prepare for the Paris Olympics.”

Ireland currently has six boats qualified for the Paris Olympics and one boat for the Paralympics. After an exciting week of racing in Italy for World Cup I, they came home with two medals, silver for the Women's Pair and bronze for the Men's Double. Up next is the European Championships in Hungary in two weeks' time followed by the Final Qualification Regatta next month where Ireland will have one last go at qualifying some more boats.

"Catch Us If You Can" builds upon the success of Rowing Ireland's existing Get Going...Get Rowing programme, furthering the organisation's commitment to promoting participation and excellence in rowing across Ireland.

For more information on "Catch Us If You Can" and how to get involved, please visit the Get Going Get Rowing website.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has said that a training session which went wrong on the river Corrib and resulted in the loss of two competitive rowing craft “posed a threat of death or serious injury” to those involved.

Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident which occurred on January 14th, 2023, but the crew in two University of Galway rowing boats which were swept towards the Salmon Weir were novices with minimal experience.

New safety recommendations have been issued to eight rowing clubs after the MCIB identified that patterns of risky behaviour had become “normalised” and posed a threat to safety.

The incident occurred as University of Galway boats were approaching the end of their trip and saw other boats from Coláiste Iognáid heading upriver towards them.

One Coláiste Iognáid rowing boat with nine school teenagers was accompanied by a coach’s launch with two adults on board.

All craft steered towards the centre of the river to avoid a collision but this was in breach of “rules of the river”.

The vessels were now all in the river’s main current, with near-gale force westerly winds, and the two boats from the University of Galway Boat Club were swept towards the Salmon Weir where they capsized against safety booms.

The Coláiste Iognáid Rowing Club rowing craft subsequently capsized in reeds along the east bank, and all were rescued.

The MCIB criticised the university boat club for inadequate planning of a trip which took place in unsuitable weather and river conditions.

“A small craft warning and a gale warning were in effect from five hours before this rowing trip commenced, as winds of up to Force 8 were forecasted to occur along the western seaboard,” the report says.

It says the river conditions were also unsuitable for this rowing trip, as the river was in its normal winter spate conditions, with a high flow rate and a low water temperature.

“ These conditions existed for weeks before and after this casualty event. These conditions occurred in the vicinity of a significant weir, which the crews had to row past on both the outward and return legs,”it says.

“The high flow rate meant that the crews were unable to effectively control their boats, to change course away from the approaching weir. The low water temperature meant that the crews were exposed to the dangers of cold water immersion when their vessels capsized and they entered the water,”it says.

The MCIB notes that five incidents had occurred over the preceding two decades involving recreational boats at or above the weir.

The lack of a rescue vessel above the weir is also highlighted – the RNLI, Garda and Galway Fire and Rescue Service are located below the weir.

The full report is here