Sam Lynch had a trouble-free workout in his first race in the World Rowing Championships yesterday, winning his heat in the lightweight single sculls by almost seven seconds with his familiar tactic of getting out in front and staying there.
Taking into account his victories in the quadruple and double sculls at the National Championships last month, it was the Limerick man's 13th successive win, his last defeat coming at the World Cup regatta in Munich last July when Michal Vabrousek beat him into second place in the semi-final. Lynch went on to an emphatic win in the final and added the World Championship title last year in Lucerne.
Vabrousek, from the Czech Republic, and Italian Stefano Basilini, two of Lynch's main rivals, made full use yesterday of the fact the first three finishers in each of the three heats qualified for Thursday's semi-finals.
Basilini finished third in the second heat, won by Steve Tucker of the US, and Vabrousek second in his heat, won by Ingo Euler, the German who finished third behind Lynch and Vabrousek the last time they clashed, at this year's World Cup regatta in Munich.
Ireland's four remaining boats all enter the fray in quick succession tomorrow. The defending champions in the lightweight men's pair, Tony O'Connor and Gearóid Towey have their heat at 8.58 (Irish time) this morning. Sinead Jennings and Heather Boyle compete at 9.51 a.m., the men's lightweight double of Neal Byrne and Eugene Coakley at 10.30 a.m. and the lightweight men's four at 10.37 a.m.
All will be aiming to avoid the Wednesday repechages and qualify directly for their semi-finals on Friday.
Eton in England was chosen as the venue for the World Championships in 2006 at the annual congress of the ruling body for rowing, FISA, in Seville on Saturday. The congress also passed a resolution urging the International Olympic Committee to maintain the full programme of 14 rowing events. Proposals to cut out lightweight events would seriously diminish Ireland's chances of medals at the Games.
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