CANOEING:JENNY EGAN goes into the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Rome this weekend with hopes of a top-five finish and with an outside chance of a medal. The dedicated paddler, who is part of a seven-strong Ireland team, has been training in Britain with the aim of doing well in this gruelling event on the river Tiber.

The Ireland campaign got off to a good start as masters competitors Deglan Ó Drisceoil and Malcolm Banks finished fifth and fourth respectively in their races at in the 45 to 49, and 50 to 55 K1 (kayak) classes.

Egan (25) began the year training in the United States in the hopes of landing a place at the Olympic Games in London in the K1 500 metres. She finished seventh in the A final of the European Championships, the Olympic qualifier, but in the nervous weeks before the Games she learnt that this was not enough to see through to London on the “countback” system.

Tomorrow’s K1 competition is over 25.8 kilometres and puts a strong emphasis on the six off-the-water sprints where the competitor carries their boat (portages). It offers Egan a chance of a good finish to the season. She has done well in long-distance events, and finished eighth last year in the World Marathon Championships in the heat and humidity of Singapore. She also took a silver medal in 2011 in the 5,000m event at the World Cup Sprint regatta in Racice in the Czech Republic.

Egan’s brother Peter partnered Neil Fleming in the men’s K2 last year and the pair finished 11th. Fleming has now landed a post in the United States and Peter Egan will compete in the K1, which has seven portages and is over a distance of 30.1 kilometres.

Ireland’s three junior competitors, Seán McCarthy, Mark Hartnett and Cáit Broderick, take to the water today.

The organisers of the Liffey Descent have scheduled the event for next weekend in the hope of attracting competitors from the World Championships.

Both Peter and Jenny Egan are set to compete.

CANOE MARATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Rome) – Ireland Team: (all compete in K1 classes) Men – Senior: P Egan. Junior: M Harnett, S McCarthy. Masters: M Banks, D Ó Drisceoil. Women – Senior: J Egan. Junior: C Broderick.