O’Donovans to lead Irish team’s challenge in Belgrade

The Ireland team for the first World Cup Regatta in Belgrade in five weeks' time (May 5th to 7th) will consist of four crews.

Olympic medallists Gary and Paul O’Donovan will compete in the lightweight double sculls, Sanita Puspure will compete in the single sculls, while the lightweight pair of Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll and lightweight single sculler Denise Walsh will complete the team.

Monika Dukarska, who did well at the Ireland trial at the weekend, may come into the reckoning to join Puspure at the second World Cup in Poznan in June.

She has a chance to impress at the Skibbereen Regatta on the second weekend in April while Sam McKeown can do the same with his club, Queen's University, at the international regatta in Piediluco in Italy on the same weekend.

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The O’Donovans will defend their European title on the final weekend in May.

Ireland is set to send a big team to the European Junior Championships in Krefeld in Germany on May 20th and 21st.

After the Ireland trial a number of crews were given the nomination to show their form at Skibbereen Regatta. Ireland’s top junior, Hannah Scott, will not be part of this team. The Bann girl, who will join Princeton later in the year, has exams coming up. She was already booked in to go to the British Schools’ Regatta at Dorney Lake the following weekend.