Lightweight rowing athletes Siobhan McCrohan and Mark O’Donovan won the single sculls medals – an innovation this year – at the National Trials at the NRC in Cork. McCrohan held off heavyweight Lisa Dilleen to take her crown, while O’Donovan led in the three men who formed the medal-winning Ireland lightweight quadruple scull with him last year – Michael Maher, Niall Kenny and Justin Ryan. Sanita Puspure, who is injured, was a notable absentee from the women's race: McCrohan’s closest lightweight rival, Claire Lambe (20), finished third.
Sixteen-year-old Paul O’Donovan from Skibbereen was the outstanding junior on show, placing fifth in the A Final, while the men’s junior pair from Bann Rowing Club, Joel Cassells an Chris Black, were also impressive in their victory in this grade.
National Trials, National Rowing Centre, Cork (percentages in brackets of estimated world gold-medal winning time for the athlete’s grade). Senior athletes lightweight unless stated.
Saturday – Finals
Men
Pair (all juniors) – A Final: 1 J Cassells, C Black 6:58.6 (93.3), 2 C Egan, F Tolan 7:05.3 (91.8), 3 L Seaman, H Millar 7:05.7 (91.7), 4 E Beechinor, K Synott 7:11.4 (90.5), 5 J Egan, A Kelly 7:16.7 (89.4), 6 D Hindle, A Bell 7:19.4 (88.9). B Final: 1 S Hewitt, P Boomer 7:16.7 (89.4), 2 C O’Riada, K Doyle 7:19.3 (88.9), 3 D Buckley, K Mitchell 7:29.2 (87.0).
Sculling, Single – A Final: 1 M O’Donovan 7:12.9 (senior; 92.4), 2 M Maher 7:15.1 (snr; 91.9), 3 N Kenny 7:17.4 (under-23; 93.7), 4 J Ryan 7:21.5 (92.9), 5 P O’Donovan 7:22.1 (junior; 93.6), 6 P Hanily 7:22.9 (under-23; 92.6), 7 S O’Driscoll 7:24.2 (under-23; 92.3).
B Final: 1 A English 7:24.5 (snr; 90.0), 2 J Mitchell 7:26.8 (91.8), 3 A Sheehan 7:29.6 (under-23; 92.1), 4 N Prenderville 7:30.5 (under-23; 91.9), 5 D Quigley 7:37.2 (90.6).
C Final (all juniors): 1 M Monteith 7:41.3 (89.8), 2 L McCarthy 7:44.4 (89.1), 3 D Collins 7:48.6 (88.3). D Final: 1 P Leonard 7:51.4 (87.8). E Final: C Noone 7:48 (88.4).
Women,
Pair – A Final: 1 A Sheehan, H O’Sullivan 8:08.0 (88.2), 2 L Murphy, K Mackey 8:10.6 (87.7), 3 F Murtagh, K Wade 8:22.8 (85.6), 4 E Byrne, K McEneff 8:25.9 (85.1), 5 R Gilligan, H McCarthy 8:34.8 (83.6).
Sculling, Single – A Final: 1 S McCrohan 7:53.5 (senior; 92.9), 2 L Dilleen 7:55.3 (under-23 heavyweight; 91.5), 3 C Lambe 8:02.5 (under-23; 93.3), 4 E Moran 8:03.7 (heavyweight; 87.9), 5 Sarah Dolan 8:04.5 (under-23; 93.1), 6 D Walsh 8:13.8 (under-23; 91.3).
B Final: 1 H Nixon 8:14.9 (junior; 91.7), 2 O Hayes 8:26.2 (senior; 86.9), 3 Sinead Dolan 8:25.9 (under-23; 88.6). C Final: K Cromie 8:26.9 (89.6). D Final: B Walsh 8:39.5 (junior; 87.4).
