ROWING NEWS:MONIKA DUKARSKA of Killorglin finished just outside the bronze medal position in the single sculls event at the Fisa World Coastal Rowing Championships at Bari in Italy on Saturday.

Dukarska won this event in 2009, but France’s Charlotte Culty took the honours this time, with Italy’s Benedetta Bellio in second. Another French woman, Diane Delalleua, held off Dukarska for third, by just over three seconds.

Sheila Clavin of St Michael’s in Limerick put in a remarkable performance to finish sixth in her first foray into coastal rowing at this level.

There was disappointment for John Keohane of the Kilmacsimon club in Cork as the defending champion in the men’s singles finished seventh, the gold medal taken by Giuseppe Alberti of Italy.

Limerick crews took most of the major honours at the Castleconnell Head of the River on Saturday, but the Bulls and Bears event drew some interesting entries.

Rob Weitemeyer, a World Championship medallist for Canada in 2004 and 2005, and giant German oarsman Christian Vennemann, both of whom are studying at University of Limerick, teamed up with Neptune, Athlone and University of Limerick rowers to win this novelty category The head drew an entry of over 200 crews and the Garda/University of Limerick crew of Niall Kenny and James Brynn were the fastest senior pair.

The Marina at Cork was the venue for the 13th Annual Sculling Challenge on Saturday, but it was Colm Dowling of the Dublin Sculling Ladder who won the three-way contest. Cork Sculling Ladder representative John Griffin finished second, while Gordon Reid of the Belfast Sculling League was third.

IRELAND did reasonably well in extremely difficult conditions at the Canoe Marathon World Championships in Singapore. Temperatures reached into the 30s yesterday and humidity topped 80 per cent.

Jenny Egan finished eighth of the 25 entries in the K1 event on Saturday. The Salmon Leap athlete was in touch with winner Renata Csay of Hungary until about 10 kilometres into the race but then faded. “She just deflated like a balloon,” said Ireland team manager Tom Egan. “Instantly.”

Racing 28.5 kilometres in such humid and hot conditions took their toll. Tom Egan said the venue “wasn’t an ideal selection” for a World Championships in an event where so many of the athletes come from Europe.

In the men’s K2 Neil Fleming and Peter Egan came in 11th. They were in line for a better finish, but Egan cramped on the final portage. Fleming also competed in the men’s K1 but did not finish.