2 days ago
O'Donnell-Ní Laoighre claim bronze, O'Donovan-Lynch, McCarthy-Pazzaia crews and Murtagh qualify
Finals racing got underway on Saturday on day 2 of racing at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne.
The PR3 Mixed Double Scull crew claimed a bronze medal in their A final. Semi-finals also took place with three Irish crews securing A Final spots.
Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen placed fourth in the semi-final of the Women's Double Scull, securing a spot in tomorrow's B Final. They raced in a highly competitive heat featuring China, the winners of the last World Cup Regatta in Varese, and Olympic champion Lola Anderson of Great Britain. At the 1000 metre mark, Zoe and Mags sat in sixth position before overtaking the New Zealand crew by the 1500 metre mark. A powerful sprint in the final stretch saw them pass the British crew to finish fourth with a time of 06:53.9.
Fintan McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia won their semi-final in the Men's Double Sculls and will compete in the A Final tomorrow. In a tightly contested race, the duo led from the start, holding off strong challenges from the New Zealand crew and the second Irish boat. They crossed the line with a time of 06:11.43, which was faster than the time posted by Serbia in the first semi-final.
Paul O'Donovan and Daire Lynch finished third in the semi-final of the Men's Double Sculls, securing their place in Sunday's A Final. The crew were in fifth position at the 1000 metre mark, just two seconds off the leaders. They moved up to fourth by the 1500 metre mark and produced a strong sprint finish to overtake Great Britain and qualify for the A Final.
Fiona Murtagh delivered a dominant performance in her semi-final of the Women's Single Sculls, taking first place and securing a spot in tomorrow's A Final. She looked composed throughout, holding clear water by the 1500 metre mark and leading second-place Denmark by three seconds. In the A Final, she will face Great Britain's Lauren Henry, who also produced a commanding win in her semi-final.
Tiarnán O'Donnell and Sadhbh Ní Laoighre finished third in the A Final of the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls and claimed a bronze medal. The duo raced in the PR3 category due to a lack of entries in their own PR2 classification. The event provided valuable racing experience for the new crew.
Siobhán McCrohan finished fifth in the A Final of the Lightweight Women's Single Sculls. She was in sixth place heading into the final 500 metres but produced a strong finish to overtake the sculler from Peru and secure fifth overall with a time of 07:47.16.
Alison Bergin competed in the D Final of the Women's Single Scull this morning, finishing fourth with a time of 07:58.51. At the 1500-metre mark, she held the highest stroke rate on the water, making her the fastest boat at that point. She closed the gap on third-place Peru to just two seconds in the final 250 metres, delivering a strong and determined finish.
Sunday's Schedule:
W2x | Mags Cremen & Zoe Hyde
B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 8:40am IST (Lane 4)
W4- | Feerick, Hayes, Magner & Long
B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 8:50am IST (Lane 4)
M4x | Byrne, Colsh, Murphy & Sheehan
B Final: Sunday, 29th June – 9:10am IST (Lane 3)
M2x | Fintan McCarthy & Konan Pazzaia
A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 11:37am IST (Lane 3)
M2x | Paul O'Donovan & Daire Lynch
A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 11:37am IST (Lane 6)
W1x | Fiona Murtagh
A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 12:38pm IST (Lane 4)
