ROWING/World Cup regatta:Orlagh Duddy took a bronze medal at only her second World Cup regatta in Amsterdam yesterday. The Derry woman (27) was the star of the show on a day Ireland also had two creditable results in Olympic-class events, with the men's heavyweight four finishing fifth in their A Final and the lightweight women's double scull winning their B Final to take seventh overall.

Duddy's rise this year has been swift. She faltered in the heats of the National Trials in the spring, but won her B Final in some style and was given a vote of confidence by coach Harald Jahrling to become the reserve for the lightweight double, letting her step away from her job as an engineer at FG Wilson in Larne to go full-time in the Irish programme.

The German's faith was repaid quickly when she reached the A Final at the first World Cup in Linz in Austria, finishing fifth. And she topped that yesterday.

"I think I'm in shock," she said. "I thought I was in shock the last time, I couldn't believe it. I'm just so delighted making the final the last time and in the last 500 metres today it was like 'hold on, oh my goodness you're getting a medal'. The feeling is brilliant."

Marit van Eupen, a world champion competing before her home fans, took a firm hold of the lead early on, with Austria's Michaela Taupe and Germany's Daniela Reimer filling the other medal spots, and Duddy a close-up fourth. By halfway, Duddy had passed the German, an Olympic silver medallist in the lightweight double in Athens, to take over in third and actually seized a silver-medal spot by 1,250 metres. Taupe regained second, but by then these three had clear water on the rest, and van Eupen, Taupe and Duddy stepped up to podium to take gold, silver and bronze.

"I would love to race it again, just to see could I push a bit more in the last 500 (but) I was just so delighted with where I was."

In the men's four final, Ireland's crew of Sean O'Neill, Cormac Folan, Sean Casey and Alan Martin stayed well in touch for much of what turned out to be an exciting race with a twist in the tail. By 750 metres hot favourites The Netherlands had established the pattern which was to hold for much of the rest of the race: they had a one-length lead over France and New Zealand, with Ireland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia fighting their own battle but challenging hard for medal placing.

Slovenia had fallen away by the last few hundred metres, but then the race was turned on its head when New Zealand made a startling charge which saw them relegate the Dutch to silver. The Czech Republic, a crew which contained three of the four which won the World Under-23 title last year, also finished well to take bronze, while France and Ireland had to settle for fourth and fifth.

Sinead Jennings and Niamh Ni Cheilleachair lost their chance of serious honours in their semi-final. Another poor start left them struggling in last place at the 500 metre mark, and while they came back through the race the qualification spots went to China Two, Denmark Two and Germany. Ireland were fifth. The Irish crew were much more convincing in yesterday's B Final. They were leading by halfway and pushed out to a length by the final 500 metres and held firm to win by half a second.