Ireland crews look to repechages to advance

ROWING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:IRELAND MADE its debut at adaptive level at the World Championships in Poznan in Poland yesterday. Both Ireland crews finished fifth in their heats. They get a second chance at qualifying for Saturday's A Finals through repechages today.

Adaptive rowing for disabled competitors has been in the Paralympic programme since 2005 and was part of the Paralympics in Beijing last year. Two of the Ireland athletes competed there: Karen Cromie, who is from Northern Ireland, rowed for Britain, while Kevin du Toit represented South Africa.

Yesterday, Cromie teamed up with Vincent Culhane in the trunk and arms double scull. They came up against a dominant crew in Brazil’s Elton Santana and Josiane Lima, who took the one qualification spot with aplomb. Ireland started relatively well, but were in fifth by 500 metres, which is half way in adaptive events.

The Ireland legs, trunk and arms coxed four came into these championships having taken a bronze medal in the World Cup in Munich in June. But this time Emer Patten, Shane Ryan, du Toit and Sarah Caffrey, guided by new cox Amy Judge, were off the pace. Britain took the qualification place. The legs, trunk and arms class (LTA) is for rowers with a disability who have functional use of their legs, trunk and arms for rowing, and who can utilise the sliding seat.

The trunk and arms (TA) class is for those who have functional use of the trunk, but are not able to use the sliding seat to propel the boat because of significantly weakened function or mobility of the lower limbs. Competitors in these classes are often amputees, those with a neurological impairment or cerebral palsy or those with a visual impairment.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS(Poznan, Poland): Day Two (Irish interest) Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed coxed Four(First Directly to A Final; rest to Repechage; 1,000 metres): 1 Britain (V Hansford, J Roe, D Smith, N Riches; cox: R Jones) 3:42.57; 2 Germany 3:50.47, 3 Canada 3:51.44, 4 Ukraine 3:52.08, 5 Ireland (E Patten, S Ryan, K du Toit, S Caffrey; cox: A Judge)4:03.12. Trunks and Arms Mixed Double Scull:Heat One (First Directly to A Final; rest to Repechage; 1,000 metres): 1 Brazil (E Santana, J Lima) 4:45.58; 2 Belarus 5:01.58, 3 Israel 5:06.48, 4 France 5:07.18, 5 Ireland (V Culhane, K Cromie)5:13.76.