Munich regatta crucial for Irish crews

ROWING: THE SPARRING is over; it's time to come out fighting. The next three days at the World Cup Regatta in Munich will tell a great deal about Ireland's prospects of having a competitive crew or crews at the World Championships in Bled in August/September – and at the London Olympics next year.

Ireland’s young crews go into action today in the three categories in which we will be targeting Olympic qualification in Bled in 13 weeks’ time: the lightweight women’s double (in which eight Olympic boat places will be available at the World Championships); the women’s heavyweight double (also eight) and the men’s lightweight double (11).

The open double of Sanita Puspure and Lisa Dilleen is the wild card. It is a new crew, teaming the experienced Latvian, who is awaiting Irish citizenship, with 19-year-old Dilleen. The Galway woman finished ninth at the World Under-23 Championships in the single scull despite having stepped back from competitive rowing to complete her Leaving Certificate.

In training in Munich, this crew has been going well against the lightweight double of Siobhán McCrohan and Claire Lambe, who had a fourth-place finish at the European Championships last season. There are 26 entries in this category, but some of the more established crews have been split. An A final place (top six) on Sunday would be a very satisfactory result for Ireland.

In the men’s lightweight double scull, there is not just a big entry (35 boats), but a real depth and quality. Mark O’Donovan and Niall Kenny and Peter Hanily and Justin Ryan are up against such class oarsmen as Britain’s Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter and Italy’s Lorenzo Bertini and Elia Luini. And yet this is where such ambitious Irishmen will have to show their true colours.

Five other Irish crews – three single scullers, the adaptive mixed four and adaptive sculler Karol Doherty – are also set to compete. Adaptive sculler Naomi Mills was entered but will not compete as she has yet to complete the classification process.

This World Cup is the first in which the preliminary heats have been replaced by time trials. The process is similar to the Grand League regatta series, which has been such a success at home, and has drawn a huge entry to Metropolitan regatta at Blessington Lake tomorrow – there are 27 entries in the Division One men’s pair alone.

High winds are a big threat, and a decision will be announced this morning on whether the event can go ahead. The very low water level has limited the course to five lanes, which will be short of 2,000 metres and run under the bridge. To compound matters, volunteers yesterday repaired damage done by a vandal or vandals in recent days. Six ropes of the course were cut straight across.

The agm of Rowing Ireland last weekend was offered plenty to muse on: the union has a new secretary – Shandon’s Frank Coghlan (59); the National Rowing Centre is losing large amounts of money (€57,000 last year); the hard work in formulating a calendar for 2012 and 2013 paid off with a smooth adoption at the meeting.