Jennings replaces Ní Cheilleachair

ROWING: The Ireland team for the World Championships in Gifu in Japan will feature a change from the lightweight women's double which campaigned this season. Sinéad Jennings replaces Niamh Ní Cheilleachair, who was Heather Boyle's partner for the World Cup series.

Jennings won World Championship gold in 2001 in the lightweight single, which is not an Olympic-class boat, and had targeted this discipline in Japan at the end of the month. She staked a claim with an outstanding time in the final trials and competed at the World Cup in Eton.

However, Ireland coach Harald Jahrling had stressed that Olympic boats had priority in his regime. Boyle and Ní Chéilleachair had not reached standards in the World Cups which suggested they would be likely finalists in Gifu, and Jennings was back in the picture for the double at the training camp in St Moritz which finished yesterday.

Jahrling said yesterday that Jennings and Boyle had proved the faster combination at the camp. "It pretty much confirmed what we knew already. At the end of the day we are after developing Olympic boats."

Ní Cheilleachair, who has been overcoming a wrist problem, is set to be entered in the lightweight single when the team is confirmed on Monday morning.

Richard Coakley will also be entered in the men's lightweight single. Jahrling had initially suggested that Coakley had to win gold at the World Under-23 Championships to compete at Gifu - he finished sixth - but said yesterday it was better to have reserves competing than "standing on the bank".

The rest of the team will be along expected lines, with a lightweight pair of Diarmaid and Siaghal Mac Colgain joining Ireland's main hopes for medals, the men's lightweight four and open four.

The squad have a few days off before reconvening at the National Rowing Centre in Cork on Sunday afternoon. They will have almost a week to get used to rowing at sea level again; they break up on Saturday before flying out to Japan on Monday morning. The World Championships run from the following Sunday, August 28th, to Sunday, September 4th.