#ROWING: Ireland’s Sanita Puspure finished fifth in the A Final of the single scull at the World Cup Regatta in Belgrade today. Puspure, tasting this level of competition in the single scull for the first time, mixed it with the world’s best in the early stages and was second after 500 metres. But as Zhang Xiuyun of China and world champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic set a hot pace at the head of the field, Puspure settled at the back. Zhang won gold, Knapkova silver and Nataliya Mustafayeva of Azerbaijan pipped Frida Svensson of Sweden for the bronze.
Iva Obradovic of host country Serbia was withdrawn due to medical reasons.
World Cup Regatta, Belgrade, Selected Results (Irish interest)
Sunday
Men
Lightweight Four – A Final: 1 Denmark 6:01.17, 2 Britain (P Chambers, R Williams, R Chambers, C Bartley) 6:02.23.
Single Scull – A Final: 1 Czech Republic 6:47.82, 2 Britain (A Campbell) 6:51.33.
Women
Single Scull – A Final: 1 China (X Zhang) 7:24.15, 2 Czech Republic (M Knapkova) 7:27.55, 3 Azerbaijan (N Mustafayeva) 7:29.71; 4 Sweden (F Svensson) 7:30.77, 5 Ireland (S Puspure) 7:45.97. Serbia (I Obradovic) did not start.