THE Mawer brothers will race individual sprint events at the opening World Series regatta in Mechelen, Belgium, next month as part of a nine boat Irish team that has already shown well in pre season competition.

The selections were finalised by the national sprint racing committee last night following an impressive performance at the weekend club regatta in Nottingham where the team won four finals against some of Britain's leading paddlers.

World marathon silver medallist Gary Mawer convinced selectors of his return to fitness after a seven week lay off at the start of the year by finishing second in the 1,000 metre single kayak finals behind former junior World champion Tim Brabhams. He has, however, been usurped from the shorter distance 500 KI boat by younger brother John Nawer who surprised many during the weekend by beating the British paddler Paul Darby Dowman.

The 22 year old college student was last year ruled out of Olympic K2 selection because of a shoulder injury and until two weeks ago had been training on his own in England. The 1/500th of a second that separated the first three paddlers on the Holme Pierrepoint course was nevertheless enough to warrant his inclusion in the Mechelen individual 500 event.

Doubling up, the Mawers have been paired together in Ireland's K2 entry over 200 and 500 metres with the third two man kayak being filled by another sibling partnership, Peter and Andy Maycock.

Peter Maycock is also in the running for a seat in the World Series four man kayak with the sprint committee's line up for Belgium still unresolved.

Brendan Maloney and Peter Egan, who later won too junior men's finals, are certain to race the Irish Junior K2 at the beginning of May, but team manager Kevin Murphy is unwilling to distract the pair from realistic prospects of a medal in Canada this August.