Sinead Jennings, the world champion lightweight single sculler, will compete in the lightweight double scull this season, with the aim of producing another world championship gold - and putting Ireland on course for an Olympic medal in 2004.
At the end of the national trials at Inniscarra Lake in Cork, Jennings and Galway's Heather Boyle, the national sculling champion, were named in a lightweight double for the Duisburg international regatta next month. If all goes to plan, they will compete in three World Cup regattas and the World Championships this year.
Under the tutelage of Ireland chief coach Hamish Burrell, initially in Scotland and recently at the National Rowing Centre at Inniscarra Lake, Boyle has come close to matching the world champion in a single scull and thus proved herself capable of joining Jennings in the double, an Olympic-class boat.
On Saturday, the crew impressed Burell as being on par with the performances of Ireland's other two World Championship gold medallists, who also trialled at the weekend, lightweight single sculler Sam Lynch and the lightweight pair of Tony O'Connor and Gearóid Towey, who rowed particularly well.
Both Boyle and Jennings believe gold is attainable in a double.
"Otherwise I would still be in the single," Jennings said convincingly yesterday. The Donegal woman medalled in all nine international regattas she rowed in until her gold at Lucerne last year and feels this crew should reach that standard.
It is a tall order, but Jennings and Burrell have produced the goods so far, and Boyle is full of praise for the Scottish coach. The new crew may be able to see how far they have to travel when they compete at Duisburg next month, as the world champions, from Germany, are expected to compete.
Also off to Duisburg representing Ireland are a new men's lightweight double of Richard Archibald (24) and Eugene Coakley (23). They first sat into a double together during the one perfect day of the trials, on Saturday, when the sun blazed down and the wind was not a bother, and impressed as ones to watch for the future.
O'Connor and Towey will also go to Germany, but will miss the World Cup regatta at Lucerne in early July, as they are set to compete at Henley with their club, Neptune, possibly both as a pair and in the Ladies Plate for elite eights. Lynch has exams and was not selected for Duisburg.
