ROWING: The lightweight men's four which won gold at the World Cup regatta in Lucerne and the men's open four which won their B Final will backbone a strong Ireland team at the World Championships in Gifu, Japan, next month.

Coach Harald Jahrling also plans on nominating a women's lightweight double scull when entries are made next month, but has decided to retrial this boat, with Sinead Jennings, who is recovering from a rib strain, coming back into the picture.

Heather Boyle and Niamh Ní Cheilleachair finished ninth in the double, which is an Olympic-class boat, in Lucerne.

Jennings, who was world champion in the lightweight single in 2001, had her heart set on matching the feat in Gifu. However, she said yesterday she was "really kind of excited" about the new arrangement.

All three women will travel to the pre-Championship camp in St Moritz next week and then on to Japan, but Jahrling was emphatic about his aims. "Our priority boat has been set as the lightweight double," he said yesterday. "We will have a single, but the priority is not the single." He said he was "very pleased with the progress" Ní Cheilleachair and Boyle had made this year.

Richard Coakley (22), who was part of the lightweight eight which won silver in Lucerne, will be a reserve for both the heavy and lightweight men in Japan. He may also compete in the lightweight single in the senior Worlds - if the wins this category at the World Under-23 Championships in a fortnight.

The lightweight eight were terribly disappointed not to gain the win that would have sent them as a crew to Gifu, but the stern pair, Diarmaid Mac Colgain (25), and his younger brother, Siaghal (23), are set to be entered as a lightweight pair. They will compete if they are not needed to cover other crews.

Jahrling, who only took over as Ireland coach in January, said he was "generally happy" with the development of the team so far - "and not just because the lightweight four won in Lucerne".

"We have a heavyweight four that a couple of months ago people wouldn't even have thought of," he said.

"And the lightweight women's double are as fast as Sinead and Heather were when they just missed out on qualification for the Olympics last year. In general I'm pleased."

The lightweight eight served the purpose of keeping the lightweight group in action at the highest level and there will be people pushing for places in the four next year. But Jahrling sees no point in developing non-Olympic crews just to participate. They should be in the hunt for a medal at the highest level.

In the case of the eight this meant winning in Lucerne.

"Winning is the best recipe for doing well in the next one. If 10 people go to Japan you have to make sure they are fast enough. There is no point sending non-Olympic boats if they do not have a chance of a medal."

Jahrling, whose presence in Ireland has been a huge plus for the sport, will attend the National Championships next weekend.