Bronze for Ireland at World Rowing Cup as O'Donovan and McCarthy face off in final
THERE WAS A bronze medal for Ireland today at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Tiarnán O'Donnell and Sadhbh Ní Laoighre earned a podium position in the A Final of the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls. 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.
Meanwhile, Back-to-back Olympic champions Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy will face off in the A Final of the Men's Double Sculls after progressing from the semi-finals in their respective boats.
McCarthy and Konan Pazzaia won their semi-final. 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 6:11.43, which was faster than the time posted by Serbia in the first semi-final.
O'Donovan finished third alongside Olympic bronze medallist Daire Lynch in their semi-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.
McCarthy and Pazzaia will be in Lane 3 for the final while O'Donovan and Lynch will race from Lane 6.
Fiona Murtagh has qualified for the final of the Women's Single Sculls after winning her semi-final race. Murtagh was holding clear water by the 1500-metre mark, 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.
Mags Cremen and Zoe Hyde placed fourth in the semi-final of the Women's Double Scull, sending them through to 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.
The pair sat in sixth position at the 1000-metre mark before overtaking the New Zealand crew by at 1500 metres. A powerful sprint in the final stretch saw them edge ahead of the British crew to finish fourth with a time of 6:53.9.
Meanwhile, Siobhán McCrohan finished fifth in the A Final of the Lightweight Women's Single Sculls in a time of 7:47.16. Alison Bergin took fourth in the D Final of the Women's Single Scull, clocking 7:58.51.
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World Rowing Cup – Sunday's Schedule
W2x | Mags Cremen & Zoe Hyde
B Final: Sunday, 29 June – 8:40am IST (Lane 4)
W4- | Feerick, Hayes, Magner & Long
B Final: Sunday, 29 June – 8:50am IST (Lane 4)
M4x | Byrne, Colsh, Murphy & Sheehan
B Final: Sunday, 29 June – 9:10am IST (Lane 3)
M2x | Fintan McCarthy & Konan Pazzaia
A Final: Sunday, 29 June – 11:37am IST (Lane 3)
M2x | Paul O'Donovan & Daire Lynch
A Final: Sunday, 29 June – 11:37am IST (Lane 6)
W1x | Fiona Murtagh
A Final: Sunday, 29th June – 12:38pm IST (Lane 4)
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