Rowing/World Cup Regatta: Ireland's two Olympic boats yesterday moved into today's semi-finals of the BearingPoint World Cup regatta in Lucerne, but both crews could have done more to prove they will be real contenders for gold here - and in Athens.
The stage seemed set for the lightweight double of Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey when Olympic champions Poland, who reportedly have problems tapering their weight, pulled out, and world champions Italy were forced into the repechages when soundly beaten in their heat by the United States.
But Towey and Lynch, bronze medallists behind Italy and Poland at last year's World Championships, eschewed the chance to move centre stage. Not only did they not win their heat, but they found themselves facing Italy in the evening repechages after slipping up and finishing third in their heat.
Hungary's Zsolt Hirling and Tamas Varga took control of the heat by halfway and the Irish decided to settle for second and a reasonable lane draw in the repechage - only to be caught on the line by fast-finishing Spain.
The Irish rowed a sensible race in the repechage. A race with the Italians began to develop at 1,750 metres, but Lynch and Towey eased off: they needed only to finish in the top three, and took a comfortable second to Italy.
Ireland need to finish in the top three today in a semi-final featuring heat winners the United States and France, along with Germany, Japan and Spain.
Three races in two days was not what the Irish needed, especially as Lynch has to fight his own battles with weight - needing to lose at least six kilogrammes to make the grade.
The other Olympic boat, the lightweight four, made it straight through to today's A semi-final by finishing in the top three in their heat.
At the World Cup regatta in Munich last time out the Irish had finished ahead of the once-great Danes three times - in the heats, semi-finals and final - and yesterday the men in green looked set for a repeat as they led into the last 400 metres. Denmark had other ideas, however. In one of the most exciting finishes of the day, they pushed hard, were briefly held off, then pushed again to lead. Ireland came back at them and were pipped by only 14-hundredths of a second.
Ostensibly nothing was at stake except lane draw, but with Stephan Moelvig back in the boat the Danes look strong again.
Ireland's semi-final pits them against Australia, Spain and Germany, along with Russia and Japan.
The new Irish lightweight quadruple scull have their repechage today after finishing second of three in their heat yesterday morning. They burned off Spain in the second 500 metres and once they realised they were not going to catch eventual winners Italy they eased off.
Lightweight single scullers Niamh Ní Cheilleachair and Tim Harnedy end their interest with C finals today. Ní Cheilleachair looked off the pace in both the heat and the repechage, but Harnedy can consider himself unfortunate. In his repechage the young Corkman put in a terrific burst, rating 38 strokes per minute, from 1,500 metres. He went from last to first, but could not hold on as the pack closed and missed qualification for the A/B semi-finals by 16-hundredths of a second.
The decision of the lightweight pair of Neil Casey and Derek Holland to scratch from the repechages last evening was no great surprise - "they were absolutely wrecked," said assistant coach Tony O'Connor. Holland and Casey had raced three times as a heavyweight pair in the Olympic Qualifier here earlier this week and looked flat as they finished fifth and last in their heat.
At the Women's Henley Regatta, the intermediate eights of UCD and Neptune won their heats, but Queen's University did not make it through.
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