Gold on cards

SinΘad Jennings, Ireland's sole representative at the World Cup regatta in Vienna this weekend, has high hopes of bettering her third-place finish at the first World Cup regatta in Seville two weeks ago.

Neither Petra Vogel of Switzerland, who won gold in Seville, nor silver medallist Miriam Ter Beek of the Netherlands, are competing this time in the lightweight single sculls.

Jennings, who won platinum as well as bronze in Seville - she announced her engagement to fellow Irish international Tony O'Connor - travelled to Vienna from her Edinburgh base with coach Hamish Burrell on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the grant from the Irish Sports Council which the Irish Amateur Rowing Union hopes to use to employ an international coach will not be available until next month. There has been much controversy over the delay in appointing the coach, who is unlikely to be in place before the World Championships in August.

Danish oarsman Thomas Poulsen, one of an outstanding lightweight four, has retired.