Ireland glimpse task ahead

Rowing/World Cup regatta: Well, at least Ireland will not be going to the Olympic Games with any false hopes. The withdrawal of Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey from the BearingPoint World Cup regatta on Saturday was a shock, not least because the illness suffered by Towey caught even his coach, Thor Nilsen, by surprise. As Nilsen suggests elsewhere on this page, the timing may yet prove fortunate.

In Lynch and Towey's absence, however, the task facing them in two months' time was graphically illustrated in yesterday's lightweight double final.

In one of the most thrilling battles in a day of stormy showers and storming finishes, Italy and France swept to the line together, with World Champions Italy again proving dominant - even if only by 0.04 of a second.

Ireland's lightweight four got an even closer look at the task facing them. In their A final Italy moved away from the field early. Canada took a clear second around half way, and with 400 metres to go it looked like Ireland might disappear out the back.

When bowman Richard Archibald called for a faster rate he got it, and Ireland came within 0.69 of a second in snatching bronze from Australia.

In Saturday's semi-final Ireland had allowed Australia to pip them for first on the line, and afterwards Niall O'Toole said he was disappointed they had not closed out the race. "We have a few issues on our run in," he admitted. "We're not the polished crew we would like to be."

O'Toole reiterated those points after yesterday's race, saying the four needed to improve physically and did not benefit as much from recent training at home as they would from a more intensive training camp abroad.

On the positive side, O'Toole pointed out that the Irish had put it up to both Denmark and the United States in the early rounds - and neither had subsequently made the final.

O'Toole's seat in this boat is still technically in doubt, with Tim Harnedy in the reckoning, but Nilsen, who has the final say, met questions as to whether the line-up will be changed with a typically provocative: "Did you see the race?" Yes. "Was it good?" Yes. "Well, would you change the crew?"

Harnedy finished second in the C final of the lightweight single sculls on Saturday, and may go on to the World Championships for non-Olympics in this boat. But the way he was omitted from the four still rankles.

He was originally to have swapped back into the Olympic crew after O'Toole's turn at the World Cup in Munich. But after the four took an outstanding second place there this chance was taken away.

"I was pretty disappointed, because I was gunning for that," the 21-year-old Corkman said. "I've only raced one regatta in the four, last year in Milan (the World Championships), and we were going quite well. I was annoyed that it was taken away from me. Obviously the people in charge have their ideas and you have to go with what they're saying."

One crew who are happy to target the World Championships are the lightweight quadruple scull. Competing in their first regatta together, Kenny McDonald, Diarmaid Mac Colgain, Herbie Griffin and Brian Young took a respectable fourth in their A final yesterday, putting in the fastest final 500 metres to put Denmark and Britain behind them, in a race dominated by Italy. "It was a learning experience," said McDonald. "It was only our third race together."

This group - Danny O'Dowd will be given his chance to stake a claim for a place in the boat - is on course for the World Championships next month. "We will be a crew to watch out for," McDonald said.

For Niamh Ní Cheilleachair a place at the World Championships in the lightweight single scull must be won in a trial this week.

She was disappointed with her second-place finish in the C final on Saturday, but is not retreating from taking on Sinead Jennings, Heather Boyle and whoever else in trials. "I will give them a race next week and see what happens," said the young Offaly woman.

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