#Rowing: The third and final World Rowing Cup regatta of the 2017 season will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland on the famous Rotsee course, beginning this Friday, July 7^th.

 The regatta is the last chance for athletes to test themselves before the main event of the year, the 2017 World Rowing Championships, which will be held in Florida in September and October.

  The World Cup regatta has an entry of almost 700 competitors from 54 counties. The waters of the Rotsee are ideal for competitive rowing as the lake’s size and shape enable Olympic-style six-lane racing over 2,000 metres. It is arguably the fairest course in the world.

 The World Cup series consists of a series of three events, with the overall World Rowing Cup winners being determined after the third event. The events in which competitors can be World Cup champions  mirror those at the Olympic Games.  

 Gary and Paul O’Donovan took silver at the second World Cup in Poznan. They had finished fourth in the first World Cup in Belgrade and are in contention to become overall winners of this World Cup event. Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan won gold in the lightweight pair, an international event, at the first World Cup in Belgrade and the second in Poznan. Lightweight single sculler Denise Walsh, who is not travelling to Lucerne, took silver in Belgrade.  

 The Ireland team is:

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls: Gary O’Donovan (Skibbereen RC), Paul O’Donovan (Skibbereen RC)

Lightweight Men’s Pair: Mark O’Donovan (Skibbereen RC), Shane O’ Driscoll (Skibbereen RC)

Women’s Single Sculls: Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians BC); Monika Dukarska (Killorglin RC)

#Rowing: Georgia O’Brien has been chosen to represent Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse. The Kenmare girl was added to the team, which will compete in Belgium on July 29th and 30th, after Cork Regatta. However, Rory Quinn and Oisin Clune, who had been in the mix for the Coupe de la Jeunesse team, were not chosen. They have been named in the team for the Home International Regatta in Scotland on July 22^nd.

#Rowing: Niall Kenny lost out in the first round of the Diamond Sculls to a much heavier opponent at Henley Royal Regatta today. Kenny (28) won a silver medal at the World Under-23 Championships in 2010 as part of the Ireland lightweight quadruple, but at 75 kg here he had a disadvantage of 23 kilogrammes against Jonathan Stimpson. The Briton powered into an early lead and won well.

#Rowing: Monika Dukarska has been chosen to represent Ireland at the third World Cup Regatta in Lucerne early next month. The Killorglin woman finished ninth (third in the B Final) on her first foray as a single sculler at a World Cup event, in Poznan in Poland last weekend. She joins Sanita Puspure, who won the B Final in Poland. The Ireland lightweight pair of Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan, who have taken gold in the previous two World Cups and in the European Championships will hope to continue their run. The lightweight double of Paul and Gary O’Donovan were silver medallists at the Europeans and in the World Cup in Poznan.

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan and Gary O’Donovan took a silver medal at the World Cup Regatta in Poland this morning. The Ireland lightweight double took second in an exciting race. France led from early on and were never headed. Ireland came from sixth to hold second by 1500 metres – but coming up to the line they came under severe pressure from China and Poland, who took the bronze.

World Cup Regatta, Poznan, Poland, Day Three (Selected results; Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Double Sculls – A Final: 1 France (P Houin, J Azou) 6:12.40, 2 Ireland (G O’Donovan, P O’Donovan) 6:15.33, 3 Poland (J Kowalski, M Janknowski) 6:15.90; 4 China One 6:16.17, 5 Germany 6:17.67, 6 Japan Two 6:17.99.

Women

Pair – B Final: 1 United States 7:22.54, 2 Ireland (A Keogh, A Crowley) 7:30.09.

Single Sculls – B Final: 1 Ireland One (S Puspure) 7:28.79, 2 United States Two (M O’Leary) 7:29.35, 3 Ireland Two (M Dukarska) 7:32.34; 4 Germany Two 7:36.36, 5 United States One 7:37.43, 6 Austria Two 7:40.21.

#Rowing: Sanita Puspure won the B Final of the women’s single sculls at the World Cup Regatta in Poznan today. The focus may have been on the battle between Puspure and Monika Dukarska, but Puspure’s main challenger down the course was Megan O’Leary of the United States. She finished a close-up second, with Dukarska third, 3.55 seconds behind her Ireland team-mate.

In the B Final of the women’s pair, the new crew of Aifric Keogh and Aileen Crowley started well but had to give way to the more accomplished United States crew of Kathrin Roach and Sophia Vitas, who took eighth overall.

World Cup Regatta, Poznan, Poland, Day Three (Selected results; Irish interest)

Women

Pair – B Final: 1 United States 7:22.54, 2 Ireland (A Keogh, A Crowley) 7:30.09.

Single Sculls – B Final: 1 Ireland One (S Puspure) 7:28.79, 2 United States Two (M O’Leary) 7:29.35, 3 Ireland Two (M Dukarska) 7:32.34; 4 Germany Two 7:36.36, 5 United States One 7:37.43, 6 Austria Two 7:40.21.

#Rowing: Ireland’s Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll resisted a strong challenge by Britain to take gold in the lightweight pair at the World Cup Regatta in Poznan, Poland.

The Irish started well and led through halfway and the 1500 metres mark. Britain’s Sam Scrimgeour and Joel Cassells kept the pressure on and lost by under a length. Brazil took bronze in this three-boat race.

World Cup Regatta, Poznan, Day Two (Irish interest; selected results)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Final: 1 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:32.93, 2 Britain (J Cassells, S Scrimgeour) 6:34.17, 3 Brazil 6:37.21.

Women

­Pair – Repechage (First Four to A Final; rest to B Final): Australia 7:15.41, 2 New Zealand 7:16.26, 3 Chile 7:17.86, 4 Britain 7:22.94; 5 United States Two 7:28.76, 6 Ireland (A Keogh, A Crowley) 7:35.93.

Single Sculls – Semi-Finals (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final)

Semi-Final One: 1 Austria (M Lobnig) 7:29.08, 2 China (J Duan) 7:31.25, 3 New Zealand (H Osborne) 7:32.80; 4 Ireland One (S Puspure) 7:35.99, 5 Austria Two 7:42.16, 6 Germany Two 7:49.93.

Semi-Final Two: 1 Britain (V Thornley) 7:29.58, 2 Germany (A Thiele) 7:33.43, 3 Ukraine (D Dymchenko) 7:35.50; 4 Ireland Two (M Dukarska) 7:37.19, 5 United States One 7:38.05, 6 United States Two 7:42.84.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Semi-Finals (Three to A Final; rest to B Final) – Semi-Final One: 1 New Zealand 7:44.06, 2 Poland 7:45.45, 3 Switzerland 7:48.27.

Semi-Final Two: 1 Sweden (E Fredh) 7:40.68, 2 United States (M Jones) 7:41.38, 3 Ireland (D Walsh) 7:42.79; 4 Russia 7:44.47, 5 Netherlands 7:51.60, 6 Austria 7:58.54.

A Final: 1 New Zealand 7:36.89, 2 Poland 7:37.19, 3 Switzerland 7:37.20; 4 Sweden 7:37.75, 5 United States 7:43.07, 6 Ireland (Walsh) 7:48.91.

#Rowing: Denise Walsh qualifed for the A Final of the lightweight single sculls by finishing third in her semi-final at the World Cup Regatta in Poznan, Poland, today. Emma Fredh and Walsh battled with Mary Jones of the United States for the crucial top-three spots. Jones took over in second to Fredh at 1500 metres, with Walsh holding off Russia’s Anastasia Lebedeva for third. Walsh sprinted from there, but so did Jones, who took second.

Aifric Keogh and Aileen Crowley finished sixth in the pairs repechage, off the pace in a fast race. They will go to the B Final.

World Cup Regatta, Poznan, Day Two (Irish interest; selected results)

Women

­Pair – Repechage (First Four to A Final; rest to B Final): Australia 7:15.41, 2 New Zealand 7:16.26, 3 Chile 7:17.86, 4 Britain 7:22.94; 5 United States Two 7:28.76, 6 Ireland (A Keogh, A Crowley) 7:35.93.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Semi-Finals (Three to A Final; rest to B Final) – Semi-Final One: 1 New Zealand 7:44.06, 2 Poland 7:45.45, 3 Switzerland 7:48.27.

Semi-Final Two: 1 Sweden (E Fredh) 7:40.68, 2 United States (M Jones) 7:41.38, 3 Ireland (D Walsh) 7:42.79; 4 Russia 7:44.47, 5 Netherlands 7:51.60, 6 Austria 7:58.54.

#Rowing: Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll won their test race of the lightweight pair at the World Cup Regatta in Poznan, Poland this morning. Britain tested them through three-quarters of the race, but held off when it was clear they would again have to give way to the men in green.

Sanita Puspure and Monika Dukarska finished third and fourth in their heat and missed out on direct qualification in the heats of the women’s single sculls. New Zealand’s Hannah Osborne won a battle with Puspure to take second behind the dominant Vicky Thornley of Britain.

The Ireland pair of Aifric Keogh and Aileen Crowley took fourth in their heat.

#Rowing: The 2017 World Cup series heads to Poznan, Poland for the second of three regattas in 2017. Almost 500 athletes will compete from 39 countries with several countries, including Australia, China and New Zealand, arriving on the international scene for the first time this season. The event will be staged from 16th-18th June 2017 on Lake Malta, near the city centre of Poznan.

The Olympic gold and silver medallists from the lightweight men’s double sculls are back racing each other again. France’s Jeremie Azou and Pierre Houin and the O’Donovan brothers from Ireland met last month at the European Rowing Championships with the Olympic order staying the same. Both of these talented crews will race strong opposition from Poland and Great Britain.

The Irish team in full to compete at the event is as follows:

Lightweight men’s double sculls: Gary O’Donovan (Skibbereen Rowing Club), Paul O’Donovan (UCD Boat Club)

Lightweight men’s pair: Mark O’Donovan (Skibbereen Rowing Club), Shane O’Driscoll (Skibbereen Rowing Club)

Women’s single sculls: Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians Boat Club) and also Monika Dukarska (Killorglin Rowing Club)

Lightweight women’s single sculls: Denise Walsh (Skibbereen RC)

Women’s pair: Aileen Crowley (UCD BC), Aifric Keogh (UCC RC)

Ireland will also be sending three para-athletes to Poznan, for classification only, with the view to building a Team for the 2018 season; Marianne Watchorn (Trinity), Aaron Stokes (Castleconnell) and Damien Dulea from Quintin RC in London, originally from Cork. Poznan will be the first World Rowing event where Para-Rowing is raced on the same “field of play” at 2’000 metres following the decision taken at the FISA Extraordinary Congress last February in Tokyo.

Racing begins on Friday 16th June with heats for the para-rowing boat classes. Racing then moves on to World Cup and International boat classes, progressing through repechages, semifinals and on to the finals. The first finals will be raced on Saturday afternoon 17th June starting with the para-rowing finals, followed by International boat class finals. World Cup finals will take place on Sunday 18th June.