For the first time in eight years, Ireland boats start an international season already qualified for the Olympic Games. For the 2008 series just one boat, the men’s four, booked their place early and our sole representative in London, Sanita Puspure, came through the qualifiers in Olympic year.
For the World Cup in Varese, which starts today, both the men's and women's lightweight doubles can test themselves against some of the world's best knowing they will have a date in August when they will fight it out with those crews for Olympic medals.
The official Fisa preview lists Sinéad Jennings and Claire Lambe among the ones to watch, and they have been seeded fifth. "They have a medal or a final chance, I think," said Ireland team manager Morten Espersen.
Two crews qualify directly for semi-finals from today’s heat, which pits Ireland against Canada, the crew which effectively knocked them out of an A Final at last year’s World Championships.
Seeded
Paul and Gary O’Donovan are also seeded fifth. Espersen thinks an A final place would be a good achievement for the young Skibbereen men, who finished 11th at the World Championships. Their heat contains Britain, Poland and Chile and the second Dutch crew, with two going directly into semi-finals.
Puspure, in the single sculls, the lightweight men’s four and the women’s pair hope to prove themselves ready for the Olympic Qualifier next month. All three crews have tough heat draws – Puspure would have to beat reigning Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova to avoid a repechage and claim the one direct qualification place for the semi-finals.
Back in Ireland, Trinity Regatta celebrates its 150th anniversary with the promise of very keen senior eights racing. For the first time this season, the men’s eights of Commercial, UCD and Trinity will fight it out.
Commercial, who beat Trinity at the Skibbereen Regatta, and UCD, who pipped them in the University Championships, are drawn in the first semi-final, with Trinity taking on Dutch visitors KSRV Njord in the second. In the women’s senior eight, Trinity have a bye into the final, where they will face the winners of a semi between UCD and KSRV Njord. The men’s and women’s winners will receive a prize of €500.
On Sunday, the Rowing Ireland egm at the Garda Rowing Club will fix the domestic calendar for 2017 and receive the accounts for 2015. There is a controversial motion to site the Irish Championships for senior events in September. A majority would be enough to make this change, which would be adopted in 2018.
The audited accounts show Rowing Ireland generated a surplus of €180,169 for 2015.
