Winners in the same boat

The Irish Times/Vhi Healthcare Sportswoman of the Year June award: We've already had our fair share of history-makers to choose from in this year's awards, Jessica Kürten becoming the highest-ranked Irishwoman in the history of showjumping and Derval O'Rourke becoming the first Irishwoman to win gold at the World Indoor Championships when taking the 60-metre hurdles title in Moscow back in March.

And now we have two more for our collection: Donegal's Sinéad Jennings and Offaly's Niamh Ní Cheilleachair, the first joint winners of one of our monthly awards since we got up and running in January 2004.

The pair, who had barely rowed together before, made history by taking bronze, behind two Chinese crews (who both finished inside the old world record), in the lightweight double sculls final at the second leg of the World Cup in Poznan, Poland. It was the first medal at senior international level for an Irish women's crew in an Olympic-class boat.

"Poznan really confirmed for us the potential we have as a crew," said Jennings yesterday. "Before then we'd had very little time together; I was doing my medical exams and Niamh was doing work for her PhD, so we were both quite tired.

"Because of that our expectations weren't that high going to Poznan, so we were absolutely delighted when we got the medal. We've just clicked really well and there's a lot left in us."

Jennings, world champion as a lightweight single sculler back in 2001, and Ní Cheilleachair are currently based outside San Moritz in Switzerland, where they will stay for the next three-and-a-half weeks as part of their preparations for next month's world championships in Eton, England.

"Poznan and Lucerne at the weekend (where they narrowly missed out on another bronze) were just steps towards Eton," said Ní Cheilleachair, "and we know we can get more out of ourselves. It was a real boost for us, though, because before that we had only one regatta where we raced together so we weren't used to each other - but winning the bronze gave us a lot of confidence in each other's abilities and each other's strengths. It just made us realise we can do it."

After San Moritz they will return home and, after a two-day break, take part in a 10-day training camp in Cork.

"Then we have a day and a half to pack our bags and it's off to Eton," said Jennings. "It's a busy time but we're enjoying it, enjoying working together. We'd really love to get a medal at the worlds, that's our goal, and we honestly believe we're capable of doing it."

Not even the temptations offered by San Moritz are taking the pair's eyes off the prize. "It's seven kilometres from the village we're staying in and any time we've been there we've run it," said Jennings. The lengths you have to go to for medals.