Race to Olympics starts in earnest

SAILING:The clear waters off Key Biscayne may seem like an idyllic setting, but the Miami Olympic classes regatta will be far from a beach vacation for Ireland's two leading Paralympic crews next week. The first of three show-down events is set to determine who will represent Ireland in China in just 18 months.

Veteran sailor John Twomey, with Brian O'Mahoney and Anthony Hegarty, faces up to his Kinsale YC clubmate Paul McCarthy and his crew, Paul Ryan and Richard Whealey, in the Sonar class.

The latter has already secured Ireland's place for the Paralympic regatta and, in the process, marked his rise as a serious prospect against Twomey, who has been the leading light in this discipline here.

For the last games, Twomey had qualified the country and was eventually selected following a close selection contest.

True to form, rivalry between the two teams is kept afloat, and McCarthy has previously been recognised for his sportsmanship when he loaned Twomey his boat to compete in Athens in 2004 when his own new boat developed a de-lamination problem.

Then, last year, Twomey was injured during the Disabled Sailors World Championship at Perth in Western Australia, and he sustained muscle injuries that have taken the best part of the last year to recover from.

McCarthy also made gains on his rival when Twomey was forced to replace Cork hurling coach Seanie McGrath, who had crewed with Twomey, with Hegarty due to various personal commitments.

Such a change wasn't a simple matter, however, and the new crewman arrived following a long-hunt for a suitable candidate.

Hegarty was a complete novice when he joined Twomey's campaign, and intense training has been the hallmark of their programme to date. All three are now gelling well and reported to be well-matched to McCarthy's established crew.

The racing in Miami will be the first proper test under pressure as the first of three selection "nominated regattas" to determine the Irish boat in Qingdao.

"The Sonar fleet is already very tight, there are no bad boats and we'll both be very close," commented Twomey. "Either way, our skill levels will get a great lift from this regatta. It's going to be a great challenge."