#ROWING: The first six races of the Ireland challenge at the European Rowing Championships resulted in three direct qualifications for A/B semi-finals and three boats set for repechages. Sinéad Jennings gave Ireland a good start by finishing second of three qualifiers in the lightweight single sculls. The women’s pair of Monika Dukarska and Leonora Kennedy were one place further back in a race won well by the Nethlerlands, but also qualified. The lightweight women’s double of Claire Lambe and Denise Walsh also took the third qualification place in their race.
The lightweight men’s double of Paul and Gary O’Donovan needed to finish in the top two in their heat – and they came close with a fast second 1,000 metres. France, the Czech Republic and Greece set the first-half pace. Ireland passed Greece and closed to within one second of the Czech Republic, who took the second qualification place behind France. The Ireland women’s pair were fifth and last in their heat, as was the lightweight men’s four.
European Rowing Championships, Poznan, Day One (Irish interest)
Men
Lightweight Four – Heat One (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Britain 6:07.57, 2 Germany 6:09.56, 3 Russia 6:09.72; 4 Austria 6:25.53, 5 Ireland (M Bailey, A English, M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll ) 6:38.91.
Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 France 6:20.55, 2 Czech Republic 6:27.16; 3 Ireland (P O’Donovan, G O’Donovan) 6:28.06, 4 Greece 6:41.16, 5 Poland 7:04.83.
Women
Pair – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Netherlands 7:12.68, 2 Spain 7:16.31, 3 Ireland (L Kennedy, M Dukarska) 7:17.07; 4 Poland One 7:17.84.
Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 6:49.73, 2 Britain 6:53.58, 3 Serbia 6:55.67; 4 Romania 7:06.54, 5 Ireland (H Hannigan, L Dilleen) 7:24.08.
Lightweight Double Sculls (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Poland 7:06.62, 2 Netherlands 7:09.30, 3 Ireland (C Lambe, D Walsh) 7:15.74; 4 Ukraine One 7:28.07.
Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Three Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Germany 7:47.03, 2 Ireland (S Jennings) 7:47.61, 3 Denmark 7:49.41; 4 Poland 8:03.59.