Displaying items by tag: World Rowing

23rd November 2018

Dominic Casey is the World Rowing Coach of the Year

Dominic Casey and Peter O'Hanlon at the World Rowing Awards.

#Rowing: Dominic Casey has been chosen as the World Rowing Coach of the Year. The Skibbereen man, who coached Paul and Gary O’Donovan to a World Championship gold medal this year, received the award at a gala in Berlin. He had also been nominated in 2016 and 2017. In these years he oversaw the first Olympic medal for Ireland rowing, when the O’Donovan brothers took silver in Rio de Janeiro, and a string of gold medals for Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll in the lightweight pair. In 2017, lightweight single sculler Denise Walsh also took silver in the European Championships and a World Cup silver.

Other awards on a glittering night went to the Australian men’s four, who were named the male crew of the year ahead of Paul and Gary O’Donovan, and the Poland quadruple, who took the women’s crew of the year, an award for which Sanita Puspure was nominated.

The 2018 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year is the Dutch PR2 mixed double of Annika van der Meer and Corne de Koning. The Sri Lankan oarsman and university student, Amidu Silva, won the 2018 Filippi Spirit Award.

The World Rowing Sustainability Award was taken by Alan Robinson and Schuylkill Navy for Love Where you Row.

The 2018 Distinguished Service to International Rowing award was won by Borge Kaas Andersen of Denmark.

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9th December 2017

Skibbereen Men Popular on Awards Circuit

#Rowing: The awards season is proving a fruitful one for rowers. Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll were honoured at the Canon Hayes Centre awards and fellow Skibbereen man Paul O’Donovan has been nominated for the RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year award. All three won gold medals at the 2017 World Championships.

Ireland coach Dominic Casey was also nominated for the World Rowing Coach of the Year at the World Rowing Awards. Casey and Morten Espersen, the former Ireland high peformance director, were also nominated for Distinguished Service to International Rowing.

On the night, the France coach Alexis Besancon was chosen as Coach of the Year. John Boultbee of Australia won the Distinguished Service to International Rowing.

The Male Crew of the Year were the German eight, Female Crew of the Year was single sculler Jeannine Gmelin and World Para Crew of the Year went to Birgit Skarstein of Norway.

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29th September 2017

O'Donovan Adds Second Gold Medal for Ireland at World Rowing Championships

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24th September 2017

Walsh Continues Ireland's Winning Run in World Rowing Heats

#Rowing: Denise Walsh made it three wins out of three starts for Ireland at the World Rowing Championships in Florida today. The Ireland lightweight single sculler charged to the line to beat Kirsten McCann of South Africa in an exciting finish to their heat.

Earlier Paul O’Donovan, in the lightweight single and the lightweight pair of Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan had also won.

World Rowing Championships, Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida – Day One – Irish Interest:

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat One (First to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:33.20, 2 Britain (J Cassells, S Scrimgeour) 6:38.57, 3 Italy 6:40.39.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 6:54.68, 2 Brazil 7:05.75, 3 Italy 7:09.88, 4 Thailand 7:17.50.

Women

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechages): 1 Ireland (D Walsh) 7:43.87, 2 South Africa 7:44.38, 3 Italy 8:03.34.

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21st July 2017

Ireland's Beggan, O'Connor, Goff and O'Connell in World Under-23 Final

The Ireland lightweight quadruple in Plovdiv

#Rowing: The Ireland lightweight quadruple of Niall Beggan, Stephen O’Connor, Andrew Goff and Shane O’Connell qualified for the A Final at the World Under-23 Championships today by finishing third in their semi-final. Austria won the race in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in a new best time for the Championships. Ireland, who were down the field in the early stages, had a very strong middle of the race and coming up to the line they fought it out with Italy and Germany for the crucial second and third spots. Germany lost out, taking fourth.

The race was run in temperatures of over 30 degrees centigrade and good conditions – the best time was bettered immediately by the winners of the next semi-final, Switzerland.

World Rowing Under-23 Championships, Day Three (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Quadruple Sculls – Semi Finals (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final) – Semi-Final One: 1 Austria 5:47.86, 2 Italy 5:48.02, 3 Ireland (N Beggan, S O’Connor, A Goff, S O’Connell) 5:48.39; 4 Germany 5:49.57.

Semi-Final Two: 1 Switzerland 5:47.26, 2 Britain 5:49.31, 3 France 5:50.52.

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19th July 2017

Great Start by Ireland Lightweight Quadruple at World Under-23 Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s lightweight quadruple won their heat at the World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Plovdiv in Bulgaria today. The crew of Niall Beggan, Stephen O’Connor, Andrew Goff and Shane O’Connell gave an outstanding performance. They outpaced early rivals Denmark, and when Britain challenged in the second half they more than matched them to win by 2.73 seconds. Britain and third-placed Spain qualified directly for the semi-finals.

David O’Malley and Shane Mulvaney finished second in their heat and must come through a repechage on Thursday to make the A Final of the lightweight men’s pair. The winner of each heat would qualify for the A Final. Ireland’s crew looked well in contention as they disputed the lead with Italy until 1,000 metres. But the Italy crew upped their rate and left Ireland behind. Their winning time was almost 12 seconds faster than the crew which won the second heat, Britain.

World Rowing Under-23 Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Irish interest)

Men

Lightweight Pair – Heat One (First to A Final; rest to Repechage): 1 Italy 6:41.77; 2 Ireland (S Mulvaney, D O’Malley) 6:47.52.

Lightweight Quadruple Sculls – Heat One (First Three to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (N Beggan, S O’Connor, A Goff, S O’Connell) 5:59.39, 2 Britain 6:02.12, 3 Spain 6:03.16.

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27th August 2013

Lambe Misses Out By Single Second On A Final Chance

#WRChamps: Claire Lambe missed out by less than a second on a chance of competing in the A or B Finals at the World Rowing Championships in Chungju in Korea. The Dubliner needed to finish in the top two in the repechage, and contested second place with Australia’s Ella Flecker, but the Australian prevailed by .9 of a second. Patricia Obee of Canada finished ahead of both. Lambe must next compete in a C/D Semi-Final.

World Rowing Championships, Day Three (Irish interest)

Women

Lightweight Single Sculls – Repechage (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; Rest to C/D Semi-Final): 1 Canada (P Obee) 7:38.35, 2 Australia (E Flecker) 7:42.73; 3 Ireland (C Lambe) 7:43.63, 4 Italy 7:47.10, 5 Korea 7:52.30, 6 India 8:25.62.

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4th November 2012

Limerick Hits Mark With Well-Run World Rowing Coaches Conference

# ROWING: The World Rowing Coaches Conference in Limerick over the weekend saw Irish delegates mix with the men and women who guided crews to glory at London 2012 in a well-run event. The presentation by Thomas Poulsen of Denmark was highly-praised, and there was a thought-provoking talk by German team psychologist Dr Annelen Collatz. Gearoid Towey spoke about the importance of managing the transition of athletes to life away from top-class sport and Martin McElroy also made a presentation.

The year of the Olympic Games is a good time to hold this event and delegates got a feel of being in the engine of world rowing as top coaches and mentors thrashed out proposed changes to rules which can be made early next year. A proposal to put the onus on each athlete to reach a set weight in a lightweight boat was controversial and discussed at length on Saturday evening.

The World Rowing Awards for 2012 were presented to the South Africa lightweight four (male crew of the year) and Britain’s women’s double sculls (female crew of the year). The coach of the year was Dick Tonks of New Zealand and single sculler Huang Cheng of China took the award for adaptive crew of the year. Di Ellis was given the award for distinguished service to rowing.

At the conclusion of the business side of the event, John Boultby, the chairman of Fisa’s competitive rowing committee, said the logistical organisation in Limerick had been “superb”.

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4th August 2011

O'Donovan Matches Nixon With Win at Dorney Lake

Paul O’Donovan matched the feat of compatriot Holly Nixon when he won his heat of the single scull at the World Rowing Junior Championships at Dorney Lake in England this morning. The Skibbereen man took over the lead coming up to the 1750 metre mark and won from Latvia, Belarus and Tunisia. All four will compete in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Dorney Lake, Britain (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Single Scull - Heat Three (First Four Directly to Quarter-Finals): 1 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:55.25, 2 Latvia 7:59.08, 3 Belarus 7:59.81, 4 Tunisia 8:03.74; 5 Georgia 8:41.14.

Women

Junior Single Scull – Heat Two (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (H Nixon) 8:45.23, 2 Switzerland (J Jeannet) 8:55.51; 3 Belgium 9:04.72, 4 Slovenia 9:04.80, 5 Venezeula 10:06.41.

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.