Lightweight pair defy illness to take silver

TONY O'CONNOR and Neville Maxwell, Ireland's light-weight coxless pair, came through last-minute medical tests to take silver at the world rowing championships in Strathclyde in Scotland yesterday. The Irish quad scull had to settle for fourth place in their final, a race that might be the last at this level for former world champion, Niall O'Toole, certainly in a crew boat.

Silver, for some time before the pairs final, looked doubtful coaching director, Thor Nilsen was ready to scratch the Irish boat as a throat infection and sickness put O'Connor and Maxwell on the sick list. Both oarsmen passed medical checks just prior to the race and wasted no time in proving their fitness to their opposition.

Towards the end of the first 500 metres, the pair began to pull away from the rest of the field and established a lead of just under a length. The effort soon began to tell and the margin gradually eroded through the middle of the course as the Irish came under pressure from last year's bronze medallists, Denmark.

Push was met with push and the lead cut, then stretched before the Danes overhauled the Irish in the last 250 metres to take the title by a length and a half.

"We knew we were drained when we went out there, and halfway though I didn't know whether I would finish," Maxwell said afterwards. "If we were near our top form we would have beaten them by clear water, but this was their race of the year and they had the energy in the end." The silver adds to the pairs' 1994 bronze. Gold in the coxless four is now on their list for next year.

Outside the medal placings were Ireland's lightweight quad of O'Toole, Brendan Dolan, John Armstrong and Emmet O'Brien. The four scullers held bronze position for most of the race, and for the first half the first three leading crews were separated by less than a second. However, split times for the Irish quad were progressively slowing and in the last 20 strokes they were caught by the French.

For Brendan Dolan who, with O'Toole, missed out on the Olympic double final two weeks ago, the result was disappointing. "We didn't row as well through the middle as we have done. We are a very strong crew and can row at a lower stroke rate than others, but we didn't settle and found ourselves stuck between two fast boats," Dolan said.

The race may spell the end of international rowing for Niall O'Toole, who last night said he will consider his future as a single sculler over the coming weeks. He ruled out a return to the quad or double which had seemed to revitalise his enthusiasm and career after recent lack-lustre seasons. "I'll let things pan out over the next few weeks but I won't be crew rowing, that's for certain. It will be either the single or nothing."

Coaching director Nilsen yesterday stressed that the decision will rest with O'Toole. "I think it is our wish that he should decide where he feels at home. He needed time in a sculling group, but I think all the lightweights will compete in singles next year.

Nilsen also expects there to be places for women's and heavy-weights rowing in the national squad system in the light of their performances at this championship.

The women's coxless four - stroked by Vanessa Lawrenson with Debbie Stack, Mary Hussey and Susan O'Brien behind, finished fifth in their B final for a world ranking of 11th. Together for two weeks with a sculler and junior on board the four were lying second when they fell apart slightly in the middle stages, expecting to blow out by the 1,200 metres mark. In the event they lasted longer, but were dropped from third to fifth in the last quarter.

The heavyweight pairing of Brian Collins and Donal Hanrahan, coxed by Ger Fahy, had made the most of their starting speed during the week in yesterday's B final the Czechs called their bluff and found themselves in front. After the first 500 metres the Irish pair were in the unaccustomed position of third place, already half a length off the lead. They rallied, lengthening their stroke, rowing the fastest split time and passing through the Germans in second. The pace wound up for the last half of the race and with the last strokes, the Americans made an unscripted appearance to snatch second place, eighth overall from the Limerick pair.