Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey take silver in Germany

Ireland's women's double of Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey took silver at the European Rowing Junior Championships in Krefeld in Germany. It was the first time Ireland had ever medalled in this competition.

Gold went to the hosts, Germany, who dominated the race. Casey and Cremen pushed up on them in the final quarter and held off a challenge from Italy to secure the silver.

“They [Germany] led from the start,” Cremen said. “After one kilometre we were second. We didn’t get too caught up in it, we knew other crews would push from there. We kept it going until the final quarter, then we gave it our all - threw the kitchen sink at it.” They covered the final 500 metres faster than any other crew.

The feeling of taking a medal? “It was honestly magical,” the Lee Rowing Club girl said. She was full of praise for the coaches and the team management and her team-mates. “It was very enjoyable. We had such fun all weekend.”

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Ireland’s three other crews, a men’s quadruple and pair and a women’s pair all finished in the top 10.

Casey, from Skibbereen Rowing Club, is the daughter of Ireland coach Dominic Casey, and the good results in Germany augur well for Ireland's challenge in the senior European Championships, which begin on Friday in Racice in the Czech Republic.