Focus back on local fare

ROWING: The intensity of last week's international selection regatta, which was run with almost military precision, gives way to more spectator-friendly events this weekend as the Neptune and Commercial regattas kick off the domestic season at Islandbridge in Dublin.

While national coach Harald Jahrling has radically cut the numbers of rowers invited to next month's final selection regatta, there will still be at least 40 men and women in the programme, and this is reflected in the entries tomorrow at Neptune and on Sunday at Commercial.

Not all of the elite have opted to keep their powder dry, however. The Commercial senior men's eight looks set to feature Seán Jacob, Niall O'Toole and Kenny McDonald, along with Albert Maher, Con Collis and Ciarán Lewis.

Commercial are the national champions and their biggest test tomorrow should come from the Lady Elizabeth/Trinity composite, with Garda, Cork, a Commercial B crew and a UCD/Old Collegians composite also entered. Garda and Cork have not entered Commercial's regatta.

Gearóid Towey, whose priorities this year lie in his Atlantic crossing, will make his first competitive appearance since the Athens Olympics when he rows for Neptune in a senior four.

Towey's Olympic colleagues O'Toole and Paul Griffin are not on the list of athletes invited to the second international selection regatta. O'Toole had to drop out last weekend and Griffin is taking intensive physiotherapy to overcome a stress fracture.

Both hope to be able to provide medical certs to satisfy Jahrling, who seems sympathetic: "We are talking about Olympians here. I would always give Olympians the last chance. At the end of the day they all need to perform the next day. That is crunch time."

It is noticeable that Jahrling has chosen the lightweight men's four as a priority boat, and not the lightweight double, but he says it is simply because he feels it has the better chance of success.

Similarly, the women's lightweight double has been chosen - along with a lightweight quadruple scull - but not the lightweight single. Although Ireland won a World Championship gold in the single in 2001, this year we do not have one outstanding athlete in the discipline. The fact that it is not an Olympic boat is key for Jahrling.