Sunday, September 3, marks the beginning of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. This is the first opportunity for the rowers to qualify Ireland for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This year, Rowing Ireland has 28 athletes competing across 12 boat classes. This is the largest number of athletes representing Ireland at a World Rowing Championships.
At last year's Championships, Ireland won four medals; LM2x Gold, PR2 W1x Gold, LW2x Bronze and W2x Bronze.
Jake McCarthy picked up rowing in 2012 after twin brother Fintan joined Skibbereen RC. A major highlight in Jakes's rowing career was in 2016 when he and Fintan made it to the A Final of the European Championships in the LM2x. Jake last raced at the 2019 World Championships where he finished 8th in the LM4x.
Jake McCarthy (Skibbereen RC) will be the first down the course for the heat of the lightweight men's scull. If McCarthy can finish in the top four boats he'll go straight into the quarterfinal, avoiding the repechage. He faces World Cup III silver medallist, Artur Mikolajczewski from Poland and the Austrian sculler Lukas Reim who won the B Final of the same event. This is Jake's first appearance at a World Rowing event since the 2019 World Championships where he finished second in the B Final of the lightweight men's quad.
World Cup III silver medallist, Siobhán McCrohan (Tribesmen RC) has had an impressive season so far picking up a medal in Lucerne and placing fourth at the European Championships in Bled. There has been a mix of athletes on the podium for the lightweight scull in 2023, and with the 2022 World Champion and 2023 European Champion from Romania, moving into the lightweight double, the single scull event is wide open. Two crews progress to the A/B Semi with the remainder going to the repechage. Keep an eye on Gianina Van Groningen, the new sculler for Romania. Groningen finished 6th at the Tokyo Olympics in the lightweight double and raced in the Romanian eight that won bronze at World Cup III.
Reigning World Champions, Paul O'Donovan (UCC RC) and Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen RC) are back in the lightweight men's double and they're going for gold. At World Cup III in Lucerne they were narrowly beaten on the line by the French double. Just .09 of a second separated the two boats. After their four week training camp in Banyoles they're ready to go again. With four crews to qualify it's likely the Skibbereen boys will bypass the repechage and head straight into the quarterfinals.
Nathan Timoney began rowing with Enniskillen Royal BC in 2015. In his junior years, he represented Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in the JM2-. Nathan is currently doing a business degree in University Belfast and competing for their rowing team. He was selected for last year's U23 World Championships where he won bronze in the men’s four
Nathan Timoney (Queen's University Belfast BC) and Ross Corrigan (Portora BC) race the men's pair tomorrow afternoon. They made their debut in the pair in July at World Cup III, where they finished sixth in the A Final. They have been drawn against Spain in tomorrow's heat, who beat them by less than a second in 8the World Cup final. Again four crews go through to the quarterfinals from the heat.
The men's double of Philip Doyle (Portora BC) and Daire Lynch (Clonmel RC) won bronze in Lucerne and finished in fourth place at the European Championships earlier in the year. The USA double of Benjamin Davison and Sorin Koszyk came second in World Cup II so they're a double to watch but with four crews to qualify for the quarterfinals, Doyle and Lynch are in a good place.
On Monday the women's pair, lightweight double, four, double and the men's four and quad will hit the water for their heats.
Sunday Schedule (IST)
10:08am - LM1x Heat
11:12am - LW1x Heat
11:19am - LM2x Heat
12:01pm - M2- Heat
12:50pm - M2x Heat
