Irish rowers qualify three more boats for Paris Olympics

Paris beckons. On day five of the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, three out of five Olympic-class boats booked their berth for the big event next summer, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy once again leading the way.

They secured their spots by making the A finals, and the women’s pair of Fiona Murtagh (University of Galway BC) and Aifric Keogh (Dublin University Ladies BC) also guaranteed their participation in Paris by nailing second in their semi-final behind Romania’s Ioana Vrinceanu and Roxana Anghel, 7:38.69 to 7:43.49.

Then came the relatively unheralded men’s pair of Nathan Timoney (Queen’s University Belfast BC) and Ross Corrigan (Portora BC), who also finished second behind Romanians, and will now fancy their chances of getting onto the medal podium in the final.

That run of Irish qualifiers was briefly interrupted when the lightweight women’s double of Margaret Cremen (University College Cork RC) and Aoife Casey (Skibbereen RC) were edged out of the top-three qualifying places to finish fourth, although they still have a chance of making Paris if they can win their B final.

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Conditions at the Ada Ciganlija regatta course on Sava Lake, in the heart of the Serbian capital, were testing, with a notable head wind. Only O’Donovan and McCarthy made light work of their semi-final in the men’s lightweight doubles, winning in 6:41.83, six seconds up on the Czech crew, to also seal their Paris berth.

Unless they row the wrong way, they look poised to win a third successive World Championship gold on Saturday.

The women’s four of Eimear Lambe (Old Collegians BC), Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians BC), Imogen Magner (Carlow RC) and Natalie Long (Lee Valley RC) gave themselves every chance of making their final, battling for third going into the final quarter-final before fading to fifth, overtaken by China and Denmark. Again, they still have a chance of making Paris if they can win their B final.

For Siobhán McCrohan (Tribesman RC) in the lightweight women’s single scull, a non-Olympic class, the decision to return to the competitive area is bearing fruit, the 36-year-old winning her semi-final, with every chance of making the World Championship podium now.