Irish women’s four make a winning start at Rowing World Championships

Racing together again as if they’d never been apart, the Irish women’s four crew which won Olympic bronze in Tokyo last summer reunited in convincing fashion to win their heat on day two of the Rowing World Championships in Račice, Czech Republic.

The quartet of Aifric Keogh, Emily Hegarty, Eimear Lambe and Fiona Murtagh didn’t have it all their own way as the Romanian crew made a surprise charge early on, just half a second clear at the midway point. Once the Irish crew drew level at the 1,250-mark the outcome became clear, however, and they pressed home for the win a half a boat length clear of Romania, Italy further back in third.

That completed three successive heat wins for three Irish women’s crews: Zoe Hyde and Sanita Puspure were also first home in their heat of the women’s double sculls, not long after in the lightweight women’s double sculls, Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey, also landed a win, progressing straight into the A/B semi-finals.

Hegarty and Murtagh had been drafted into a pair earlier this season, while Natalie Long and Tara Hanlon joined Keogh and Lambe in a four which took silver at the European Championships in Munich last month; Long and Hanlon form a women’s pair this time round.

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The British crew who won gold in Munich again look like the boat to beat, winning the first heat in 6:29.44. However the Irish were faster in winning heat two a time of 6:27.59, Australia winning the third heat in 6:30.12.

The light rain and slight tailwind made for testing racing conditions, but that proved little bother to Cremen and Casey, even though the UCC team-mates had to contend with Olympic champions Italy, among others. Only the first boat home went straight into the A/B semi-finals, and the Irish crew made sure of that early on, over a second up at 500m, the Italians later drifting back to third behind Italy.

Then came Puspure and Hyde, who after a more cautious start, only third at 500m, powered ahead to win from the Austrian and Chinese crew, in a time of 6:59.51.

The young Irish men’s four, all making their senior debut, rounded up an excellent session after nailing second in their heat behind the British crew, matching them right up to halfway.

Jack Dorney and John Kearney, both 21, joined with 22-year-old Nathan Timoney and 23-year-old Ross Corrigan; Kearney of UCC and Timoney of Queen’s helped Ireland secure a World Under-23 Championship bronze in July, and that experience told as they finished just a boat length behind the British. They also held off a late rally from the Ukrainian and Italian crews to defend that second spot.

Before that the Irish pair of Long and Hanlon also progressed straight to their A/B semi-final, placing second behind New Zealand, while in the Para single scull, Katie O’Brien placed second in her preliminary race, and goes next in the A finals.

Later in the day, Alison Bergin from Fermoy also raced the repechage of the women’s single sculls after placing fourth in her heat on Sunday. Only the top two would progress to the A/B semi-finals, a late rally by Bergin falling short as she placed third behind the Spanish and Serbian boats.

Wednesday’s Irish schedule (All times Irish)

9:20am – PR2 Mix2x Heat: Katie O’Brien (Galway RC), Steven McGowen (Galway RC).

10:0am – LW1x Rep: Lydia Heaphy (Skibbereen RC).