ROWING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Three successes, one failure. Not a bad day at the office for Ireland crews in yesterday's repêchages at the World Championships in Milan, with lightweight single scullers Heather Boyle and Brian Young and the increasingly impressive lightweight four all remaining in the hunt by qualifying for the A/B semi-finals.

But it was the one crew which did not make it which left the biggest impression. The lightweight double scull of Sinéad Jennings and Fiola Foley put in the fastest last 500 metres in their repechage to finish third behind Australia and Spain, but the Irish never looked likely to take the second place they needed.

The crew cannot now qualify the boat for the Athens Olympics at this regatta as the highest position available to them will be 13th, obtainable if they qualify for and win the C final. Olympic places are available only to the top nine boats.

In truth it was something of a triumph of the spirit that the two women competed here at all. Foley explained afterwards the wrist injury she has been rowing with after falling off her bicycle three weeks ago near her home in Killorglin has been diagnosed as "a flake fracture in the radius", and initial advice had been to stay away from rowing for five weeks.

Jennings is still recovering from severe tendinitis suffered last month and the enforced lay-off meant the crew has had precious little time to train together. At this level such lack of preparation will be punished.

Characteristically, the two were looking forward - and with a pugnacious attitude - to next year's Olympic qualifiers, and Jennings confirmed the shoulder problem which plagued her last year had cleared up.

"Thor (coach Thor Nilsen) says our physiogy is strong," said Foley. "And next year we will be technically as good as the others and they won't have a chance," added Jennings.

"Realistically if we want a medal (in Athens) we are going to have to win the qualifier easily," said Jennings, who was lightweight single sculls champion in 2001.

Heather Boyle, who has stepped into her shoes in that discipline, may still figure in the mix for the double next year. But her aim here has been to win a medal in the single, and yesterday she had to produce a terrific finish - and see off a world champion - to keep her hopes alive.

Two places were on offer in the repêchage and Australia's Zita van de Walle, victorious in the lightweight quadruple scull last year, set off at a hot pace, with Maud Klinkers of the Netherlands close behind.

Boyle, well off the pace for three-quarters of the contest, finished fastest. As the three boats battled for the two places, Klinkers held on for first and van de Walle was pushed into third by the gutsy finish of the Galway woman.

Boyle admitted that a poor performance in Sunday's heat - "I never raced so badly in my life" - had left her nervous, and she decided to take it easy over the first half of yesterday's race.

"For the second half I settled and took it up a few gears. I knew it would be alright. I never thought I had a fast finish but I did a fast one out there," she said. "With 250 metres to go I knew there was a maximum 40 strokes left, so I just put my foot down and went for it."

In the repêchage of the men's lightweight single it looked as if Brian Young might need a similar finish.

"I was kind of nervous - it was the hardest rep by a long way," the Limerickman admitted, and as Martin Nielsen of Denmark and Spain's Marco Toral Jimenez settled into the top two places early on it seemed his fears might be justified.

The Spaniard faded, however, and Young moved into second by half way and held on to that spot. Where to now? A good placing in the B final would be an achievement, says the 24-year-old, "but in the semi-final I'll give the lads in the A final hell".

Ireland's lightweight four - in their second competitive row together - stormed into the A/B semi-finals with a pillar to post win which suggests hopes of an A final place are realistic.

Despite never being tested by the second-placed British crew, the Irish set a fast time, and as Ireland's high performance director Richard Parr put it "they have not been stretched to their limits yet". Assistant coach Tony O'Connor was similarly impressed. "They're the youngest crew, yet they're turning into the most mature boat out there," he opined.