#CANOEING: Jenny Egan qualified for the semi-final of the K1 200 metres by finishing fourth in her heat this evening at the Canoe Sprint World Cup in Duisburg. Egan also qualified for semi-finals of the K1 500m, but finished seventh and takes a place in the the C Final (places 19 to 27). Barry Watkins and Michael Fitzsimons, in the K2 1,000, also qualified for the semi-finals, but their ninth-place finish meant they missed out on the C Final. Tom Brennan qualified for the semi-final of the K1 200m. Ireland will have at least one finalist, as paracanoeist Pat O’Leary took second in his heat of the KL3 200 metres.

Canoe Sprint World Cup, Duisburg, Germany (Irish interest)

Men, KL3 200m – Heat Two (First Three Directly to Final; rest to Semi-Final): 1 Germany (T Keirey) 41.870 seconds, 2 Ireland (P O’Leary) 44.245, 3 Russia (V Potanin) 44.658.

K2 1000m – Heat Four: 6 B Watkins, M Fitzsimons 3:21.908. Semi-Final Three: 9 Watkins, Fitzsimons 3:21.699.

K2 200 – Heat One: 9 P Egan, S Dobrovolskis 34.976.

K1 200m – Heat Three: 5 T Brennan 37.462

Women

K1 200 – Heat One: 4 J Egan 44.171 seconds (to Semi-Final).

500m – Heat One: 7 J Egan 1:57.293. Semi-Final Three: 7 Egan 1:55.688.

#CANOEING: Jenny Egan and Tom Brennan moved into B Finals but Andrzej Jezierski did not start his semi-final of the C1 200 at the European Canoe Sprint Championships in Racice in the Czech Republic. Egan was competing in the K1 200 and Brennan in the men’s equivalent. Peter Egan and Simas Dobrovolskis finished eighth in their heat and did not make it to the semi-final.

European Canoe Sprint Championships, Racice, Czech Republic (Selected Results; Irish interest)

Men

K2 200 – Heat Three (First Three to A Final; 4-7 to B Final; rest out): 1 Serbia 31.676; 8 P Egan, S Dobrovolskis 34.808.

C1 200 - Heat Three (Winner to Final; second to seventh to semi-final): 1 Portugal (H Silva) 39.236; 7 A Jezierski 43.220. Semi-Final: Jezierski did not start.

K1 200 – Heat Two: 6 T Brennan 37.596. Semi-Final (First Three to A Final, 4-7 to B Final): 1 Latvia (A Rumjancevs) 36.072; 7 T Brennan 37.852

Women

K1 200 – Heat Three (Winner to Final; second to seventh to semi-final): 1 Serbia (N Moldovan) 40.236; 7 J Egan 43.384. Semi-Final (First Three to A Final, 4-7 to B Final): 1 Russia (N Podolskaya) 42.196; 7 Egan 45.344.

#CANOEING: Noel and Robert Hendrick narrowly missed a podium finish at the Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Brazil. The twin brothers, competing in a Junior C2 (Canadian canoe), finished fourth behind French, Czech and German pairings. The Hendricks compete for Ribbontail Canoe Club in Enfield in County Meath. Three Ireland competitors exited at the semi-final stage: Jake Cochrane (C1, Under-23), Aisling Conlan (K1, Under-23) and Robert Hendrick  (C1 Junior). The Hendrick brothers are set to compete at the European Junior and Under-23 Canoe Slalom Championships in Poland next August.

ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and Under-23 World Championships, Foz do Iguassu, Brazil (Selected Results) – C2 Men, Junior: 1 France 104.25 seconds, 2 Czech Republic 101.64, 3 Germany 105.55; 4 Ireland (N Hendrick, R Hendrick) 109.91.

#Canoeing - The death of an Irish student on a canoeing trip in Slovenia is the second tragedy to befall a north Dublin college's adventure sports management course, as The Irish Times reports.

The young man, who has not yet been named, was canoeing on the Soca river as part of an official trip to Slovenia organised by Coláiste Dhulaigh in Coolock.

It's reported that the "accomplished and experienced" canoeist was paddling through a stretch of whitewater when his arm got stuck in the rocks.

Despite the best efforts of his fellow students to rescue and revive him, he was pronounced dead shortly after.

The incident comes five months after another student on the same course, 21-year-old Shane Murphy from Baldoyle, lost his life while kayaking with friends on the swollen River Inchavore.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#Canoeing - Canoeing Ireland is recruiting a Youth & Club Development Officer to develop youth participation in canoeing and increase both the quantity and quality of canoe clubs in Ireland.


The successful candidate will be in charge of managing the Canoeing Ireland Training Centre with a focus on youth participation, which includes managing delivery of the instructor training initiative in view of club development.

They will also be expected to deliver junior training programmes – and a schools, scouts and youth competition calendar – across a broad range of disciplines.

Managing and delivering adult training programmes to kick start club growth and development will also be part of their remit, as will reviewing and developing new Canoeing Ireland club support materials, including the Club Kick Start Pack, sample constitution and sample SOPs and risk assessments.

Among the biggest requirements will be establishing a Canoeing Ireland Youth Kayaking Academy at the body's training centre at Strawberry Beds as a pilot project to be rolled out to towns and cities nationwide.

The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute at strategic events such as the Liffey Descent and junior and senior Paddlefests, as well as produce content for Canoeing Ireland's print and social media platforms.

Applicants must have at least a level 3 kayak instructorship, a full clean minibus driver's licence, a current CI-recognised first aid cert and a Coaching Ireland tutor qualification, among other requirements. All applications are also subject to Garda vetting clearance.

Full details on this role and how to apply are available via the Canoeing Ireland website HERE - which also has details on a vacancy for an administration officer. Applications must be received by Friday 16 January 2015.

#Kayaking - It started as a result of what he called a "midlife crisis" - but the end result for Kilkenny man Paul Alexander was completing a route all around the island of Ireland by kayak in just 62 days.

And as the Irish Mirror reports, he credits a certain peanut and caramel-filled chocolate bar with giving him the energy he needed to keep going - scoffing a whopping 200 of them as he paddled his way around the coast.

Alexander, 50, set out from Kilmore Quay on his canoeing adventure, and remarkably says he only experienced "three or four hairy times when I was living on the edge" over the his months circumnavigating the island - only capsizing once.

But by far his biggest takeaway from the experience, he says, are the people he met along the way, who "reaffirmed my belief in human kindness".

The Irish Mirror has more on the story HERE.

#Kayaking - West Cork is getting a new kayaking and canoeing trail to encourage adventure tourism in the region, as the Irish Examiner reports.

The new paddling trail will run between Skibbereen and Baltimore along the River Ilen and will have the full funding support of Cork County Council for works that include the upgrade of Deelish Pier in Skibbereen.

“Market research shows that people are really interested in activity-based holidays. This will be a great boost to Skibbereen and Roaringwater Bay,” said Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District in Clonakilty last month.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

#Canoeing - Canoeing Ireland is one of five sporting organisation to share in a €125,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, as Business & Leadership reports.

The €25,000 to Irish canoeing's governing body comes via the soft drinks giant's initiative "aimed at encouraging people to incorporate physical activity into their day to day lives".

It's expected that Canoeing Ireland's share of the grant will help train a range of kayak instructors to get more young people interested in taking up the paddle.

#CANOEING: Gary Mawer (44) and Barry Watkins (25) in a K2 racing kayak were fastest home in the Liffey Descent race today. The new partnership covered the journey from Straffan to Islandbridge in a time of one hour 48 minutes and 39 seconds - beating  the Spanish duo of Luis Amado-Perez Blanco and Miguel Llorens Lopez. Mawer, who was winning his 15th senior Liffey Descent, and Watkins, who was taking his first, did not have a single capsize. The K1 winner, Spaniard Kiko Vega (36), was making his debut in the event but also managed to negotiate the course without a capsize. Seán McCarthy led into the Palmerstown weir but took a swim there.

Liffey Descent (Selected Results)

Men

K2 – Senior: 1 G Mawer, B Watkins 1:48.39, 2 L Amado-Perez Blanco, Miguel Llorens Lopez 1:48.49, 3 T Daniels, A Daniels 1:50.02. Junior: 1 C Cummins, M Slattery 2:05.54. Masters: 1 D Halton, L McCarthy 2:04.11, 2 C Pilliner, J Hyde 2:21.32, 3 T Dillon, B O’Brien 2:23.42. Veterans: G Woodhead, C Horn 2:15.25.

K1 – Senior: 1 F Vega 1:57.17, 2 S McCarthy 1:58.48, 3 D Francis 2:00.37. Junior: 1 J O’Hagan 2:04.19, 2 F Maya Mart 2:15.59, 3 B O’Neill 2:17.09. Masters: 1 S Baker 2:01.00 2 M Banks 2:01.04, 3 J Butler 2:04.39.

Wildwater – Senior: 1 J Christie 2:07.46, 2 P Forristal 2:15.25, 3 S Hadland 2:25.12. Junior: 1 C Quinn 2:12.46, 2 C Clarke 2:23.58, 3 E Moorhouse 2:36.57.

General Purpose – Senior: 1 M Redmond 2:29.02, 2 K Cahill 2:29.54, 3 E Keyes 2:33.02. Juniors: 1 O Farrell 2:28.52, J Ledwith 2:34.10, S Cahill 2:39. 25. Masters: 1 E Broekaart 2:30.38, 2 J Mollohan 2:32.13, 3 R McKernan 2:34.08.

Canadian Triple: 1 F O’Donovan, D Comerford, C Broderick 2:46.25, 2 Y Kalogerakis, A Cobban, D Mernin 2:46.25, 3 N Slevin, M Lynch, J Byrne 2:49.35.

Canadian Double: D Bradburn, B McNulty 2:36.11, 2 K Durkan, M Fitzsimons 2:46.30, 3 J Wilkinson, H Wilkinson 2:53.00.

Touring Canadian Single: 1 A Redmond 3:18.41, 2 T Shortt 3:43.53, 3 P Magee 3:54.52.

Touring Kayak Double: 1 M Keating, D Keating 2:11.50, 2 G Collins, B Gallagher 2:14.04, 3 D McDonnell, N O’Connell 2:15.07.

Women

K1: A Smith 2:17.13.

General Purpose – Senior: 1 L Griffin 2:41.35, 2 E Kelly 2:49.03, 3 E Mulroe 3:00.18. Junior: C Gurhy 2:51.20.

Mixed

K2: 1 J Boyton, J Egan 1:58.44, 2 A Bunzel, J Smyth 2:06.15, 3 P Shelley, A Galloway 2:10.26.

#ROWING: Sanita Puspure and canoeist Liam Jegou are among eight athletes who have been chosen by the Olympic Council of Ireland as recipients of Rio Scholarship programmes. The recipients will be supported from a fund of over €100,000 which comes courtesy of the OCI in association with the International Olympic Committee’s solidarity programme.

Jegou took silver at the Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships this year and was fourth at the European Junior Championships.

Puspure, a single sculler, took fourth place at the World Rowing Championships and a bronze medal at the European Championships. In her World Cup campaign, she made the A Final in Aiguebelette, and won the B Final at Lucerne.

The full list of athletes receiving scholarships is: Chloe and Sam Magee (badminton mixed doubles): Sanita Puspure (rowing); Liam Jegou (slalom canoeing), Bryan Keane (triathlon), Lisa Kearney (judo), Andrew Smith (gymnastics) and Natalya Coyle (modern pentathlon).