National coach Thor Nilsen yesterday expressed satisfaction with the trimmed-down Irish team of four men's lightweight crews which has been chosen to compete at the World Cup regatta in Vienna next weekend.
The men's lightweight four, a quadruple and two double sculls will take part in the second of the three World Cup events. Top Irish single sculler Sam Lynch has returned to Ireland from the Nilsen's training camp in Stromstad to seek treatment for the troublesome injury which hinders the use of his left arm, and the lightweight pair of Donal McGuinness and Emmet O'Brien will stay in Ireland to work on their fitness for the Lucerne World Cup next month.
The composition of the two lightweight doubles for Vienna may provoke debate: Gearoid Towey teams up with Neal Byrne and Niall O'Toole with Eugene Coakley. Qualifying a lightweight double for the Olympics is a key aim but Nilsen stresses that nothing is yet written in stone. "It is important to keep as many people as possible in the picture," he says. Sam Lynch may still come into the reckoning, and has indicated he would be available if needed some time down the road.
Albert Maher, the heavyweight single sculler, has opted not to go Vienna and will concentrate on doing well at Lucerne. Nilsen approves. "He has really impressed me. He is stubborn . . . it is the right personality to be a good single sculler."
The lightweight four will tune up for Vienna by competing against the Norwegian heavyweights and South African lightweights at the Norwegian national championships at Oslo tomorrow. Nilsen reports them in good form and training well. There will be a special social event on the Liffey on Saturday, June 26th, to mark the centenary of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union. Boats will row down the Liffey from Islandbridge at 10 a.m. and return in time for a barbecue at 12.30.
Tomorrow's Lagan regatta has 65 races and starts at 10 o'clock at the Queen's University PE centre.
Irish entries for World Cup regatta in Vienna, June 18th-20th: Men, Lightweight coxless four (T O'Connor, N Maxwell, B Dolan, D Holland). Sculling - Quadruple, light- weight (N Monahan, J Lyndsay-Finn, J Armstrong, O Byrne). Lightweight double (G Towey, N Byrne; N O'Toole, E Coakley).
