Ireland's first crew to compete at the World Rowing Championships in Chungju in Korea is set to go into action on Sunday.
Lightweight sculler Claire Lambe, a 23-year-old Dubliner, finished fourth at the European Championships and fifth at the World Cup at Dorney Lake this season and will hope to reach the final on Friday, putting her in the top six of 23 entries.
Breaking into the medals will be difficult; the favourite for gold is Fabiana Beltrame of Brazil, the 2011 champion.
The eight-hour time difference means Lambe is pencilled in to compete in the early hours of Sunday morning, Irish time.
Ireland's other crew, the women's double scull of Monika Dukarska (22) and Leonora Kennedy (26) are in action a day later. Dukarska, who is from Killorglin but has Polish parents, landed her Irish passport in time to compete this season, and finished fourth at the World University Games in the single scull.
Parental link
Kennedy, an Enniskillen woman who has returned from the British system, has a strong parental link to Ireland rowing – her father, Iain Kennedy, represented Ireland in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games.
Dukarska and Kennedy took sixth in their first competitive outing as a double at the World Cup at Dorney Lake, but making it to an A Final at the World Championships is a much bigger challenge.
Among the crews entered in this difficult, Olympic-class event is the Belarus combination of Yuliya Bichyk and the evergreen Ekaterina Karsten (41), one of the most successful female rowers of all time.
Back in Ireland, the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships this weekend in Carnlough in Antrim has drawn an entry of 361 crews, with an estimated 1800 rowers from 35 clubs competing. The three-day event starts this evening with the boats from the Fisa class and Cork yawls getting their chance to compete.
Those who cannot make it along to Carnlough have the chance to follow races on the internet thanks to livestream.com
The three boats which represented Ireland at the World Coastal Rowing Championships last weekend all competed in B Finals, with placings of third for the women's double and fourth for both Cormac Kelly and Jeanne Ní Ghormáin in singles. All the crews were from Arklow Rowing Club.
