Siobhán McCrohan proves age is no barrier with gold medal at World Rowing Championships

As fairytale comebacks go Siobhán McCrohan rowing her way to the top of the medal podium at the World Championships in Belgrade, after a seven-year hiatus, may be unique in Irish sport.

In winning the women’s lightweight single sculls, a non-Olympic class event, McCrohan also proved age is no barrier to success at this level, the 36-year-old from Claregalway, who had been rowing internationally for Ireland since 2007, producing a perfectly timed effort of grace and power to row down long-time leader Kenia Lechuga of Mexico in the last 500 metres.

It was convincing too, McCrohan a boat-length clear in 8:47.96, Luchega winning silver in 8:51.57, with the American Sophia Lewis winning bronze in 8:52.48 – a fairytale comeback of another sort given she spent two months in hospital last year recovering from a serious car crash.

After winning her semi-final, McCrohan had the benefit of starting in lane one, and never looked bothered by the fast-starting Mexican. Conditions at the Ada Ciganlija regatta course on Sava Lake, in the heart of the Serbian capital, were again tricky; hot, and with a significant head wind.

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After McCrohan made her debut in 2007, she had aspirations of qualifying for the London Olympics in 2012, at the time in the women’s double with Claire Lamb. After that ambition fell through, she later drifted away from that side of the sport, only making her return to the competitive arena this year, after that seven-year hiatus.

A member of the Tribesman Rowing Club, her decision to get back on the water this year already paid off when she won bronze at the World Cup III in Lucerne in July. And now, at the age of 36, she’s Rowing World Champion.

No wonder Irish high-performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni was walking around the Ada Ciganlija regatta course with a wide smile across his face. A first gold medal, plus two more boats qualified for the Paris Olympics, and still the main finals weekend to come.

First to secure a fifth boat was the men’s double Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch, second in their semi-final, swiftly followed by the women’s double of Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde, also second. Both those finals are set for Sunday, both crews looking well capable of making the medal podium.

For Doyle (Portora BC), the 30 year-old doctor who also rowed in Tokyo, the new partnership with Lynch (Clonmel BC) appears to have given him a new lease of life: they went after the win in their semi-final, edging in front after way, before the Croatia crew hit the front in the last 500, winning in 6:23.02 to 6:24.28, with Spain, the silver medal winners last time, back in third.

Then came Bergin (Fermoy RC) and Hyde (Killorglin RC), their qualification never in doubt either, as they took second behind long-time leaders the USA, 7:01.76 to 7:02.22.

That makes it six Irish boats qualified for Paris, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy again leading the way on Thursday, along with the men’s pair of Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan, plus the women’s pair of Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh. Katie O’Brien and Steven McGowan also qualified the Para-2 mixed double for next year’s Paralympics.

Unless they row the wrong way, they look poised to win a third successive World Championship gold on Saturday. The finals of the men’s and women’s pair are also set for Saturday.

O’Donovan was in old familiar form when explaining their clear return to form, after losing the last World Cup event in Lucerne: “We’ve been training hard, working the biceps a lot,” he said.

“On our training camp in Banyoles we had a few workouts a day just bicep-specific that our coach (Dominic) Casey put into the programme for us. So it was get up in the morning, eat a load of protein, down to the gym, work on the biceps, come back, more protein, rest, back down in the evening, more biceps in the gym. And then dinner with a load of meat and protein. Luckily into the headwind what we’ve done paid off.”

The women’s four of Eimear Lambe (Old Collegians BC), Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians BC), Imogen Magner (Carlow RC), Natalie Long (Lee Valley RC) still have a chance of qualifying that boat for Paris if they can win their B final.

Likewise with the lightweight women’s double of Margaret Cremen (University College Cork RC) and Aoife Casey (Skibbereen RC) if they can win their B final. There are still a couple of chances next year, the last being the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, on May 19th-21st.