One of the strongest Irish teams in years has been arriving in Lucerne in Switzerland over the last few days with strong hopes of medals in the season's biggest event, the World Championships, which begins on Sunday
Sam Lynch is the one with the most solidly-grounded ambitions: the lightweight single sculler won World Championship silver last year in Zagreb, but has taken gold at World Cup regattas in both Seville and Munich this year - seeing off last year's gold medallist, Michal Vabrousek of the Czech Republic, in the process.
Scottish-based SinΘad Jennings is another who will hope to return home with a medal. A bronze (Seville), a silver (Munich) and a gold (Vienna) at World Cup regattas sets the determined Donegal woman up nicely.
Like Lynch, and heavyweight sculler Padraig Hussey from Offaly, Jennings will compete in her first heat on Sunday with her eye on a final place a week later.
Hussey's fine silver medal in the recent World under-23 championships, the Nations Cup, was a creditable performance in an Olympic-class event, but Ireland's third real medal hopes are the lightweight pair of Tony O'Connor and Gear≤id Towey, who won silver (Seville) and gold (Munich) at World Cup regattas.
They take to the water in a heat on Monday, as does the lightweight men's quadruple scull, and the young lightweight four who matched Hussey's silver at the Nations Cup.
