Towey and Lynch play for high stakes

Three crews in World Championship finals tomorrow, but can any of them win medals? Ireland's best hope is the men's lightweight double of Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey but they take on perhaps the hottest crew in the world, Italy's Leonardo Pettinari and Elia Luini.

The Irish Times asks Ireland coach Thor Nilsen if there is any hope of beating the reigning world champions and world record holders. "No," says the revered septuagenarian. The Irish Times chuckles. This is not a man to give his charges false hope.

After a second Nilsen explains: "Because the Italians are better than Ireland and they've been together four years," he says. "Only if they make a mistake can they lose. But then anybody can make a mistake."

The other crews in this very big event are not exactly making up the numbers. Tomasz Kucharski and Robert Sycz of Poland are the reigning Olympic champions and Hungary have the new wunderkind in 19-year-old Zsolt Hirling, who partners the experienced Tamas Varga.

France showed excellent finishing speed in their semi-final and Germany looked impressive when winning their heat. Along with Ireland, all have set very similar times, so a medal would be an achievement for Lynch and Towey.

"The boys will not perform badly but medals we will not know until after the race," is how Nilsen puts it.

Like the double, the men's lightweight four have drawn the number three heat, which should be beneficial. This final has been built up as a shoot-out between Denmark and Italy. Could this give the young Irish unit their chance?

"Italy and Denmark are the best crews," Nilsen says. "The best Ireland can hope for is a bronze medal."

It is hard to argue with the logic. For four years to 1999 Denmark ruled this discipline, winning world championships and an Olympic gold with impressive ease.

Injury halted their run in 2000, and they could only take bronze in the Sydney Olympics but, with Thomas Ebert and Eskild Ebbesen as the core, they rebuilt the crew and won the world championship last year.

Breathing down their necks, however, has been the Italy four which was second last year and fourth in 2001 and in Sydney. Canada have been third in line, but Ireland mastered them in the semi-final and it may give the young crew hope.

The men's lightweight pair is a more open event - it is not an Olympic discipline - and Ireland's Neil Casey and Derek Holland could end their season by making some waves.

Again, Italy and Denmark will fancy their chances, but the Irish, in lane one, will have the advantage of being closest to what is likely to be a big Irish crowd in the grandstand. The pair row at nine o'clock Irish time, the double at 10 o'clock and the four 15 minutes later.

The Irish spectators had one winner to cheer on yesterday, as Limerick's Brian Young secured 13th place in the world in the lightweight single scull by winning the C final.

Algerian Mohamed Aich led through much of the race, but Young kept his head well to move up and pass him in the final 500 metres.

Young, cheered on by the Irish crowd, rowed smoothly to the finish, stretching out the field behind him.

The predicted change in the weather arrived in the morning, with gusting winds under a cloudy sky mimicking Irish conditions, even if the temperatures were in the 20s, and rose steadily through the day as the cloud disappeared.

Heather Boyle certainly looked at home on the water in the B final of the women's lightweight single scull, establishing an early lead which she held until 400 metres from the end when Denmark's Kirsten Jepsen took over to win.

Boyle finished third, with Tunisia's Ibtissem Trimech second.

The Galway woman said her lack of a sprint finish had cost her and it is something she will work on next season.

The women's lightweight double of Sinéad Jennings and Fiola Foley looked like they might make a strong impression in their C final. China controlled the race by half way, but the Irish looked in contention for second with 700 metres to go, but for the first time at this regatta they could not summon a fast finish and France and Japan took second and third, with the Irish fourth, placing them 16th in the world.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (Irish interest): Men, Lightweight Single Scull - C Final (places 13-18): 1 Ireland (B Young) 7:10.83, 2 Algeria (M Aich) 7:14.67, 3 Hong Kong (Hiu Fung Law) 7:19.59, 4 China (A Gonzalez Carvajal) 7:22.22, 5 Guatemala (E Nanne Nanne) 7:22.82, 6 Bulgaria (K Kolimechkov) 7:30.58.

Women, Lightweight Double Scull - C Final (places 13-18): 1 China (Dongxiang Xu, Xiujuan Song) 7:12.41, 2 Japan (Kahori Uchiyama, Maho Fukuda) 7:19.42, 3 France (E Bergeret, A Maddaloni-Gouelle) 7:16.46, 4 Ireland (F Foley, S Jennings) 7:17.18, 5 Italy (G Cappabianca, S Baran) 7:17.40, 6 Finland (I Hiltunen, M Nieminen) 7:17.48.

Lightweight Single Scull - B Final (places 7-12): 1 Denmark (K Jepsen) 8:00.80, 2 Tunisia (I Trimech) 8:04.25, 3 Ireland (H Boyle) 8:05.38, 4 Finland (S Sten) 8:07.86, 5 Switzerland (L Fluri) 8:09.15, 6 Netherlands (M Klinkers) 8:19.61.