Rowing : Thirteen years after he won Ireland's first world championship gold medal, Niall O'Toole has a chance over the next three days to stake a claim for a place on an even bigger stage.

The 34-year-old Dubliner, the world's best lightweight single sculler in 1991, sits into the lightweight four in today's heats of the World Cup regatta in Munich knowing that an Olympic berth in a hugely promising crew is within his grasp.

O'Toole and 21-year-old Corkman Tim Harnedy are effectively going head to head for a place in the boat at the Athens games - O'Toole will fill a place in the number three seat in the boat this weekend, while Harnedy will take over at the World Cup in Lucerne next month. One will go to Athens.

Harnedy was part of the crew which qualified the boat with some terrific performances as the World championships in Milan last year, but O'Toole had been unlucky with illness after good early season form.

Sam Lynch and Gearóid Towey will compete here as heavyweights, also with an eye to peaking at the big one in Athens. Lynch does not easily trim down to his race weight of 71 kgs and the feeling is that it is better not to do it when it is not necessary. The men's heavyweight four which hoped to represent Ireland at the Olympic qualifier next month, has been disbanded after disappointing performances in Duisburg last weekend.

Two of the crew Alan Martin and Kenny McCarthy, will go in the heavyweight pair here, as will Derek Holland and Neil Casey, who are part of the lightweight squad.

Sinéad Jennings and Heather Boyle are hopeful of a good performance in the lightweight double scull, and they are due to compete in a new boat. It would be the perfect fillip as they look towards the Olympic qualifier in two weeks' time.

Niamh Ni Cheilleachair has also been showing good form in the lightweight women's single, but heavyweight single scullers Paul O'Sullivan, Sean Casey and Sean Jacob are up against it in one of the most difficult of all the disciplines here.

World Cup Regatta: Munich (Today to Saturday): Irish team: Men - Lightweight Four: R Archibald, E Coakley, N O'Toole and P Griffin. Pair: N Casey and D Holland: A Martin and K McCarthy. Sculling Quadruple: D Wallace, B Young, H Griffin, K McDonald (Club entry). Double: S Lynch, G Towey. Single: P O'Sullivan, S Casey, S Jacob. Lightweight single: T Harnedy and D Mac Colgain (Club entry). Women: Lightweight double scull: S Jennings, H Boyle. Lightweight single: N Ni Cheilleachair.