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#Rowing: Sanita Puspure won her heat of the single sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Linz with plenty to spare – and still set the second fastest time of the day. Laila Youssifou of the Netherlands took the second qualification spot for the quarter-finals, but she provided little challenge to the reigning champion, who was well clear. Puspure’s time of 7:44.41 was close to the 7:43.81 set by Emma Twigg of New Zealand in the fastest of eight heats.  

World Rowing Championships, Linz, Austria, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat One (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 6 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.51.

Double Sculls – Heat One (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (P Doyle, R Byrne) 6:28.93.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (F McCarthy, P O’Donovan) 6:28.02

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Four (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (G O’Donovan) 8:06.49.  

Women

Four – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (T Hanlon, E Lambe, A Keogh, E Hegarty) 6:44.72.

Pair – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (A Crowley, M Dukarska) 7:13.30

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (A Casey, D Walsh) 7:25.62.

Single Sculls – Heat Eight (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:44.41.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (L Heaphy) 8:01.79.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Philip Doyle and Ronan Byrne are in top form and showed it by winning their heat of the double sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Linz today. They started well, swapped the lead with Australia in the middle stages, then took it over again in the final quarter. Belarus managed to take the third qualification place for the quarter-finals despite catching a crab coming up to the line. Their bow crossed just ahead of the United States.

World Rowing Championships, Linz, Austria, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat One (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 6 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.51.

Double Sculls – Heat One (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (P Doyle, R Byrne) 6:28.93.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (F McCarthy, P O’Donovan) 6:28.02

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Four (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (G O’Donovan) 8:06.49.  

Women

Four – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (T Hanlon, E Lambe, A Keogh, E Hegarty) 6:44.72.

Pair – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (A Crowley, M Dukarska) 7:13.30

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (A Casey, D Walsh) 7:25.62.

Lightweight Single Sculls – Heat Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (L Heaphy) 8:01.79.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The Ireland women’s four gave a good account of themselves on their first competitive outing together, just missing out on direct qualification from their heat of the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria.

 Tara Hanlon, Eimear Lambe, Aifric Keogh and Emily Hegarty came up against Australia, who were dominant, and the United States, who overcame a poor start to take the second available semi-final spot. The Ireland crew pushed them right to line, with just 1.89 seconds between them at the finish.  

World Rowing Championships, Linz, Austria, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat One (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 6 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.51.

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Three (First Three to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 1 Ireland (F McCarthy, P O’Donovan) 6:28.02

Women

Four – Heat One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to Repechage): 3 Ireland (T Hanlon, E Lambe, A Keogh, E Hegarty) 6:44.72.

Pair – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 2 Ireland (A Crowley, M Dukarska) 7:13.30

Lightweight Double Sculls – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage): 4 Ireland (A Casey, D Walsh) 7:25.62.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Monika Dukarska and Aileen Crowley took an encouraging second place in their heat as they qualified for the quarter finals in the women’s pair at the World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria. The United States looked to have the win wrapped up, but Ireland raced to the line and pushed them at the finish.

 Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll finished sixth in their heat of the men’s pair. They were not in the mix for the top-four placing which would have seen them directly into the quarter-finals, and must compete in a repechage.

World Rowing Championships, Linz, Austria, Day One (Irish interest)

Men

Pair – Heat One (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage):

6 Ireland (M O’Donovan, S O’Driscoll) 6:50.51.

Women

Pair – Heat Four (First Four to Quarter-Finals; rest to Repechage):

2 Ireland (A Crowley, M Dukarska) 7:13.30

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue finished fifth in the junior double at the World Rowing Junior Championships in Tokyo. The race was won by the outstanding Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen of the Netherlands. The Dutch pushed China into second. Behind them Germany lost out to Lithuania in the battle for bronze.

 Curry and O’Donoghue initially fought it out with Greece for fifth. They won this battle and made up metres on Germany, but could not quite push into the battle for medals.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo, Day Five (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A Final: 1 Germany 6:32.41, 2 South Africa 6:32.71, 3 China 6:33.90; 4 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:34.82.

Women

Junior Double Sculls – A Final: 1 Netherlands 7:25.50, 2 China 7:27.66, 3 Lithuania 7:30.23; 5 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:38.08

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s junior men’s coxed four took fourth place at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo this morning.

 The Ireland crew of James O’Donovan, Matthew Gallagher, Jack Dorney, John Kearney and cox Leah O’Regan came in just under a second short of the bronze medal slot.

 Germany judged the race best of all. China, Ireland and South Africa were the top crews to the 1,000 metres, with China taking over a slim lead from their two rivals. Even as the Chinese tried to extend their advantage, Germany closed on all three crews. They produced a remarkable final 500 metres to sweep into the lead. South Africa took the silver and China just held out to take the bronze.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – A Final: 1 Germany 6:32.41, 2 South Africa 6:32.71, 3 China 6:33.90; 4 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:34.82.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Rhiannon O’Donoghue and Molly Curry will compete in the A Final of the junior double sculls at the the World Junior Championships in Tokyo on Sunday. The Ireland crew took a clear third place in their semi-final this morning.

 The Netherlands were impressive winners, while Lithuania raced well to take second. Ireland pulled clear of Belgium to sit in a qualification spot at 1500 metres. Italy pushed hard coming to the line, but they could not overhaul the Killorglin and Coleraine Grammar School girls.

 China were the best crew in the first semi-final and look to the be the key challengers to Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen of the Netherlands. Germany were second to China and Greece won a contest with Britain to take third.  

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Four (Irish interest):

Women

Junior DoubleSemi-Final Two (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Netherlands 7:06.94, 2 Lithuania 7:12.66, 3 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:13.46; 4 Italy 7:15.71.

Semi-Final One: 1 China 7:09.41, 2 Germany 7:12.26, 3 Greece 7:14.12.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue won their repechage and qualified for the A/B semi-finals at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo.

 The Ireland junior women’s double overhauled Hungary in an impressive move. With 300 metres to go they were down; they drew level at 1750 and then motored clear to win by just over a length.

 Ireland’s junior men’s coxed four had earlier qualified for their A Final by taking second in their heat.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – Heat One (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage):  1 China 6:18.13, 2 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:18.29; 3 South Africa 6:18.87.

Women

Junior Double Sculls – Repechage One (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals; rest to C/D Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:10.06, 2 Hungary 7:13.17.

 

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: The junior men’s coxed four gave Ireland its first A finalist at the World Junior Championships this morning. In a thrilling finish to their heat, they took the second qualifying spot behind China.

 Three boats had charged for the line, covered by less than a second. China had held a small lead over Ireland through half way and managed to stay just ahead despite a good charge by the crew of James O’Donovan, Matt Gallagher, Jack Dorney, John Kearney and cox Leah O’Regan. South Africa closed on both, but missed out.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Junior Four, coxed – Heat One (First Two to A Final; rest to Repechage):  1 China 6:18.13, 2 Ireland (J O’Donovan, M Gallagher, J Dorney, J Kearney; cox: L O’Regan) 6:18.29; 3 South Africa 6:18.87.

Published in Rowing

#Rowing: Ireland’s Molly Curry and Rhiannon O’Donoghue finished second in their heat of the junior double sculls at the World Junior Championships in Tokyo this morning.

 There was just one direct qualification spot for the A/B Semi-Finals, and the Netherlands were outstanding winners of this race. Lisa Bruijnincx and Jacobien van Westreenen made strong claims for being the best crew in this class with a big win.

 Curry and O’Donoghue fought an exciting battle with Italy in the second half and won this by a length and a third. Greece, China and Belgium were the other heat winners.

 Because of a worry about adverse weather, racing was run at five minute intervals, which brought forward the time of this heat.

World Rowing Junior Championships, Tokyo, Day One (Irish interest)

Women

Junior Double Sculls – Heat Four (Winner to A/B Semi-Final; rest to Repechages): 1 Netherlands 7:08.18; 2 Ireland (R O’Donoghue, M Curry) 7:16.55, 3 Italy 7:19.59.

Published in Rowing
Page 4 of 76

Irish Olympic Sailing Team

Ireland has a proud representation in sailing at the Olympics dating back to 1948. Today there is a modern governing structure surrounding the selection of sailors the Olympic Regatta

Irish Olympic Sailing FAQs

Ireland’s representation in sailing at the Olympics dates back to 1948, when a team consisting of Jimmy Mooney (Firefly), Alf Delany and Hugh Allen (Swallow) competed in that year’s Summer Games in London (sailing off Torquay). Except for the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Ireland has sent at least one sailor to every Summer Games since then.

  • 1948 – London (Torquay) — Firefly: Jimmy Mooney; Swallow: Alf Delany, Hugh Allen
  • 1952 – Helsinki — Finn: Alf Delany * 1956 – Melbourne — Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1960 – Rome — Flying Dutchman: Johnny Hooper, Peter Gray; Dragon: Jimmy Mooney, David Ryder, Robin Benson; Finn: J Somers Payne
  • 1964 – Tokyo — Dragon: Eddie Kelliher, Harry Maguire, Rob Dalton; Finn: Johnny Hooper 
  • 1972 – Munich (Kiel) — Tempest: David Wilkins, Sean Whitaker; Dragon: Robin Hennessy, Harry Byrne, Owen Delany; Finn: Kevin McLaverty; Flying Dutchman: Harold Cudmore, Richard O’Shea
  • 1976 – Montreal (Kingston) — 470: Robert Dix, Peter Dix; Flying Dutchman: Barry O’Neill, Jamie Wilkinson; Tempest: David Wilkins, Derek Jago
  • 1980 – Moscow (Tallinn) — Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson (Silver medalists) * 1984 – Los Angeles — Finn: Bill O’Hara
  • 1988 – Seoul (Pusan) — Finn: Bill O’Hara; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; 470 (Women): Cathy MacAleavy, Aisling Byrne
  • 1992 – Barcelona — Europe: Denise Lyttle; Flying Dutchman: David Wilkins, Peter Kennedy; Star: Mark Mansfield, Tom McWilliam
  • 1996 – Atlanta (Savannah) — Laser: Mark Lyttle; Europe: Aisling Bowman (Byrne); Finn: John Driscoll; Star: Mark Mansfield, David Burrows; 470 (Women): Denise Lyttle, Louise Cole; Soling: Marshall King, Dan O’Grady, Garrett Connolly
  • 2000 – Sydney — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, David O'Brien
  • 2004 – Athens — Europe: Maria Coleman; Finn: David Burrows; Star: Mark Mansfield, Killian Collins; 49er: Tom Fitzpatrick, Fraser Brown; 470: Gerald Owens, Ross Killian; Laser: Rory Fitzpatrick
  • 2008 – Beijing (Qingdao) — Star: Peter O’Leary, Stephen Milne; Finn: Tim Goodbody; Laser Radial: Ciara Peelo; 470: Gerald Owens, Phil Lawton
  • 2012 – London (Weymouth) — Star: Peter O’Leary, David Burrows; 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; Laser Radial: Annalise Murphy; Laser: James Espey; 470: Gerald Owens, Scott Flanigan
  • 2016 – Rio — Laser Radial (Women): Annalise Murphy (Silver medalist); 49er: Ryan Seaton, Matt McGovern; 49erFX: Andrea Brewster, Saskia Tidey; Laser: Finn Lynch; Paralympic Sonar: John Twomey, Ian Costello & Austin O’Carroll

Ireland has won two Olympics medals in sailing events, both silver: David Wilkins, Jamie Wilkinson in the Flying Dutchman at Moscow 1980, and Annalise Murphy in the Laser Radial at Rio 2016.

The current team, as of December 2020, consists of Laser sailors Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon, 49er pairs Ryan Seaton and Seafra Guilfoyle, and Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, as well as Laser Radial sailors Annalise Murphy and Aoife Hopkins.

Irish Sailing is the National Governing Body for sailing in Ireland.

Irish Sailing’s Performance division is responsible for selecting and nurturing Olympic contenders as part of its Performance Pathway.

The Performance Pathway is Irish Sailing’s Olympic talent pipeline. The Performance Pathway counts over 70 sailors from 11 years up in its programme.The Performance Pathway is made up of Junior, Youth, Academy, Development and Olympic squads. It provides young, talented and ambitious Irish sailors with opportunities to move up through the ranks from an early age. With up to 100 young athletes training with the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway, every aspect of their performance is planned and closely monitored while strong relationships are simultaneously built with the sailors and their families

Rory Fitzpatrick is the head coach of Irish Sailing Performance. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and was an Athens 2004 Olympian in the Laser class.

The Performance Director of Irish Sailing is James O’Callaghan. Since 2006 James has been responsible for the development and delivery of athlete-focused, coach-led, performance-measured programmes across the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway. A Business & Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is a Level 3 Qualified Coach and Level 2 Coach Tutor. He has coached at five Olympic Games and numerous European and World Championship events across multiple Olympic classes. He is also a member of the Irish Sailing Foundation board.

Annalise Murphy is by far and away the biggest Irish sailing star. Her fourth in London 2012 when she came so agonisingly close to a bronze medal followed by her superb silver medal performance four years later at Rio won the hearts of Ireland. Murphy is aiming to go one better in Tokyo 2021. 

Under head coach Rory Fitzpatrick, the coaching staff consists of Laser Radial Academy coach Sean Evans, Olympic Laser coach Vasilij Zbogar and 49er team coach Matt McGovern.

The Irish Government provides funding to Irish Sailing. These funds are exclusively for the benefit of the Performance Pathway. However, this falls short of the amount required to fund the Performance Pathway in order to allow Ireland compete at the highest level. As a result the Performance Pathway programme currently receives around €850,000 per annum from Sport Ireland and €150,000 from sponsorship. A further €2 million per annum is needed to have a major impact at the highest level. The Irish Sailing Foundation was established to bridge the financial gap through securing philanthropic donations, corporate giving and sponsorship.

The vision of the Irish Sailing Foundation is to generate the required financial resources for Ireland to scale-up and execute its world-class sailing programme. Irish Sailing works tirelessly to promote sailing in Ireland and abroad and has been successful in securing funding of 1 million euro from Sport Ireland. However, to compete on a par with other nations, a further €2 million is required annually to realise the ambitions of our talented sailors. For this reason, the Irish Sailing Foundation was formed to seek philanthropic donations. Led by a Board of Directors and Head of Development Kathryn Grace, the foundation lads a campaign to bridge the financial gap to provide the Performance Pathway with the funds necessary to increase coaching hours, upgrade equipment and provide world class sport science support to a greater number of high-potential Irish sailors.

The Senior and Academy teams of the Performance Pathway are supported with the provision of a coach, vehicle, coach boat and boats. Even with this level of subsidy there is still a large financial burden on individual families due to travel costs, entry fees and accommodation. There are often compromises made on the amount of days a coach can be hired for and on many occasions it is necessary to opt out of major competitions outside Europe due to cost. Money raised by the Irish Sailing Foundation will go towards increased quality coaching time, world-class equipment, and subsiding entry fees and travel-related costs. It also goes towards broadening the base of talented sailors that can consider campaigning by removing financial hurdles, and the Performance HQ in Dublin to increase efficiency and reduce logistical issues.

The ethos of the Performance Pathway is progression. At each stage international performance benchmarks are utilised to ensure the sailors are meeting expectations set. The size of a sailor will generally dictate which boat they sail. The classes selected on the pathway have been identified as the best feeder classes for progression. Currently the Irish Sailing Performance Pathway consists of the following groups: * Pathway (U15) Optimist and Topper * Youth Academy (U19) Laser 4.7, Laser Radial and 420 * Development Academy (U23) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX * Team IRL (direct-funded athletes) Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49erFX

The Irish Sailing performance director produces a detailed annual budget for the programme which is presented to Sport Ireland, Irish Sailing and the Foundation for detailed discussion and analysis of the programme, where each item of expenditure is reviewed and approved. Each year, the performance director drafts a Performance Plan and Budget designed to meet the objectives of Irish Performance Sailing based on an annual review of the Pathway Programmes from Junior to Olympic level. The plan is then presented to the Olympic Steering Group (OSG) where it is independently assessed and the budget is agreed. The OSG closely monitors the delivery of the plan ensuring it meets the agreed strategy, is within budget and in line with operational plans. The performance director communicates on an ongoing basis with the OSG throughout the year, reporting formally on a quarterly basis.

Due to the specialised nature of Performance Sport, Irish Sailing established an expert sub-committee which is referred to as the Olympic Steering Group (OSG). The OSG is chaired by Patrick Coveney and its objective is centred around winning Olympic medals so it oversees the delivery of the Irish Sailing’s Performance plan.

At Junior level (U15) sailors learn not only to be a sailor but also an athlete. They develop the discipline required to keep a training log while undertaking fitness programmes, attending coaching sessions and travelling to competitions. During the winter Regional Squads take place and then in spring the National Squads are selected for Summer Competitions. As sailors move into Youth level (U19) there is an exhaustive selection matrix used when considering a sailor for entry into the Performance Academy. Completion of club training programmes, attendance at the performance seminars, physical suitability and also progress at Junior and Youth competitions are assessed and reviewed. Once invited in to the Performance Academy, sailors are given a six-month trial before a final decision is made on their selection. Sailors in the Academy are very closely monitored and engage in a very well planned out sailing, training and competition programme. There are also defined international benchmarks which these sailors are required to meet by a certain age. Biannual reviews are conducted transparently with the sailors so they know exactly where they are performing well and they are made aware of where they may need to improve before the next review.

©Afloat 2020