Ireland will send one of its biggest ever teams to a major international regatta next month, as the country’s promising crop of rowers get the chance to prove themselves at the World Under-23 Championships at Linz in Austria.
The squad will draw heavily on scullers from Skibbereen: Paul O’Donovan, a scholarship student at UCD who will represent Ireland at senior level in next weekend’s World Cup at Dorney Lake, will compete in the lightweight single sculls in Linz.
His elder brother Gary will team up with Shane O’Driscoll in the lightweight double and Denise Walsh has been chosen in a women’s lightweight single.
Rob O'Callaghan and Richie Bennett of NUIG have fought their way into a men's four alongside Matthew Wray of Bann and Jonathan Mitchell of Belfast Boat Club. The reserve will be Adam Boreham, who has emerged through the Talent ID system and will also be entered in the single sculls. "He shows a lot of potential," said Ireland head coach Don McLachlan yesterday.
Time trial
The men's pair of Fionnan McQuillan-Tolan and Sean O'Connor were the fastest in the Newry time trial earlier this year and the subsequent national assessment in May.
However, they have been asked to shoot it out with Andrew Little and Tiernan Oliver of Queen’s University at the Cork Grand League regatta in a fortnight to land a place in the Ireland team.
This move shows the major change of emphasis in the new Ireland system. O’Callaghan and Bennett were not at Newry and didn’t qualify for the assessment, but they outraced McQuillan-Tolan and O’Connor at the Metropolitan Grand League regatta and then proved themselves again in last weekend’s Ireland seat racing at the National Rowing Centre.
The emphasis on creating fast combinations and giving them a chance to prove themselves through the season will carry on to the Ireland boat formation camps for next season – beginning this September.
The Grand League regatta in Cork will also be used for testing a men’s lightweight pair and a women’s four and lightweight double for Linz. Alan Prendergast and Aodhan Burns will team up in the pair while Sinead Dolan and Sally O’Brien must prove themselves in the double.
The four of Lisa Dilleen, Aifric O’Regan, Ailish Sheehan and Irish American Emily Tormey will be racing for the first time.
