ROWING/World Championships: Ireland's men's open four and lightweight single sculler Niamh Ní Cheilleachair are bound for tomorrow's B finals after both finished fifth in semi-finals at the World Championships in Gifu, Japan, yesterday.
The four of Cormac Folan, Alan Martin, Seán Jacob and Seán Casey was formed four months ago and put Ireland back on the world stage at heavyweight level this season, winning a bronze medal at the World Cup in Munich. The World Championships is another step up, however. Drawn against one of the most talked about crews at the regatta, Britain, the Ireland crew needed to secure a top-three place to make tomorrow's A final - and they covered the first third of the race as if they might just do this.
Britain set a blistering early pace, with Canada staying surprisingly close and the Irish right behind them until close to halfway, when their challenge faded. Italy took up the baton in third, but Denmark came through behind Britain and Canada.
Ireland coach Harald Jahrling said his crew had given their all, but had not yet got the capacity to break into the very top level. "They rowed hard for the first half, but then the wheels came off," he said. "They are just not good enough at the moment. They are the best heavyweights in the country but they have a lot to learn physically . . . Some of our rowers are not really well coached."
Jahrling said that for the short period the crew had in the new system they had "put together a good season. I'm happy enough," the former double Olympic gold medallist concluded.
Jahrling was also content Ní Cheilleachair had competed bravely in her semi-final. In a race of many different leading configurations the 24-year-old from Tullamore never looked a contender, however. Cuba, Spain and Germany took the qualification spots - with Chrysi Biskitzi of Greece perhaps the most unlucky athlete of the day: she finished fourth, missing out on qualification for the A final by one hundredth of a second.
Another Greek, Vasileios Polymeros, will remember the day for all the right reasons. With world records again falling regularly, he tore five seconds off the old time for the lightweight single scull, setting a new mark of six minutes 41.54 seconds. It was a first for Greek rowing, complementing the bronze medal which Polymeros garnered with Nikolaos Skiathitis at last year's Olympic Games - under the tutelage of Irish coach John Holland.
The other records fell in the men's and women's single sculls. Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic set the new mark for women and her compatriot Ondrej Synek in the men's. But Olaf Tufte proved his dominance of the men's discipline by bettering that in the second semi-final. The new mark is 6:29.65.
Back in Ireland, former Irish single sculling champion Siobhán Jacob may have a long day tomorrow. Her husband, Seán, competes in the World Championship B final in the early hours of the morning Irish time, while Siobhán represents Dublin at the seventh Guinness Sculling Challenge in Cork city late in the evening.
Defending champion Orlagh Duddy from Queen's University and Sandra Wall of Cork IT are the Belfast and Cork representatives in the women's race.
The men's race is due off half an hour later, with Commercial sculler Albert Maher representing Dublin and likely to add to his collection of titles. David Meehan of Athlunkard and Martin Campbell of Queen's are the challengers from the Cork Sculling Ladder and the Belfast Sculling League.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
MEN: Four: Semi-Final A/B (Three to A final): 1 Britain 5:45.46, 2 Canada 5:46.72, 3 Denmark 5:47.80, 4 Italy 5:50.35, 5 Ireland (C Folan, S Jacob, S Casey, A Martin) 5:57.34, 6 Poland 6:03.57.
WOMEN: Lightweight Single Scull: Semi-final A/B (Three to A Final): 1 Cuba (I Marrero Arias) 7:23.87, 2 Spain (T Mas de Xaxars Rivero) 7:24.16, 3 Germany (L Tasch) 7:24.47, 4 Greece (C Biskitzi) 7:24.48, 5 Ireland (N Ní Cheilleachair) 7:31.32, 6 Switzerland (L Fluri) 7:36.20.
