# ROWING: Ireland’s two junior single scullers showed plenty of heart but could not quite make the A/B semi-finals at the World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv this morning.
Paul O’Donovan missed out by less than a tenth of a second in his quarter-final. The Skibbereen man lay in fifth and well off qualification at halfway. However, he mounted his customary mighty push in the second half of the race and caught up with third-placed Pilip Pavukou of Belarus. The Belarussian fought back and retained third place by .9 of a second at the finish. Azerbaijan and Germany filled the first two places. O’Donovan, who had been fourth in this discipline last year, is now set for the C/D Semi-Finals.
Kate O’Brien, making her debut at these Championships, fought bravely in her race and was in a good fourth place with 500 metres to go. But the race got away from the 17-year-old St Michael’s woman in the final quarter and she finished fifth. Romania, Sweden and Poland took the three qualification places and Russia was fourth.
World Rowing Championships, Plovdiv, Bulgaria – Day Three (Irish interest)
Men
Junior Pair – Repechage Four (First Two to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C/D Semi-Final): 1 Ireland (C Black, J Cassells) 6:53.11, 2 Czech Republic 6:53.55; 3 Spain 6:56.80, 4 Ukraine 7:19.31, 5 Denmark 7:28.63.
Junior Single Sculls – Quarter-Final Two (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C/D Semi-Final): 1 Azerbaijan 7:08.77, 2 Germany 7:11.13, 3 Belarus 7:12.37; 4 Ireland (P O’Donovan) 7:12.46, 5 Austria 7:27.00, 6 Denmark 7:34.99.
Women
Junior Single Sculls – Quarter Finals (First Three to A/B Semi-Final; rest to C/D Semi-Final): 1 Romania 8:02.92, 2 Sweden 8:07.68, 3 Poland 8:09.84; 4 Russia 8:13.92, 5 Ireland (K O’Brien) 8:17.69, 6 Tunisia 8:29.53.
