Rowing/News round-up: One of Ireland's biggest hopes for this year's Olympic Games, the lightweight double scull of Gearóid Towey and Sam Lynch, will get some welcome time in competitive action this weekend at the International Wedau regatta in Duisburg in Germany.
The crew, which is part of a big Ireland entry, is set to take to the water for heats this evening and will race again tomorrow and Sunday.
"It's our first race, really, this season," said Towey yesterday evening. Towey and Lynch will compete as heavyweights and are unsure of what kind of competition they will face. Towey confirmed, however, that come the World Cup regatta in Munich next weekend the double will compete as lightweights.
Lynch and Towey are certainly not phased by the spotlight upon them in the run-up to Athens as they have launched an attractive new website, www.irelandlight2x.com in the last few days.
The heaviest pressure on Ireland crews in Duisburg may be on the combinations which are hoping to stake their claims for the Olympic Qualifiers next month. The men's four and double scull will want to prove their worth, and the lightweight women's double scull of Sinead Jennings and Heather Boyle could give themselves a boost by doing well here and in Munich in the run-up to the qualifiers.
Back in Ireland, the competitive edge will also be pronounced at the big Cork City Regatta at Inniscarra Lake tomorrow, with the senior men's eight final pitting NUIG and Lady Elizabeth against each other.
The prospect of this clash alone makes the regatta one of the events of the season, but the senior men's four has eight impressive entries. And the women's single scull should also be a fine race. The regatta marks the centenary of the presentation of one of the most impressive prizes in Irish sport, the Leander Trophy for senior eights.
On Sunday the Fermoy regatta provides a second day of competition for many of the entrants at the Cork City Regatta.
A new race, styled the Lomac Tiles University Boatrace, is scheduled for June 12th on the Lagan, when Trinity College, Dublin will take on Queen's University.
The promotion for the event says it will be a "unique rowing event for Ireland", which makes one wonder if the organisers have heard of the Gannon Cup colours race between UCD and Trinity - staged first in 1947 and still going strong.
