Rowing: Maurogiovanni tries to plot a course through the haze

Ireland's high performance director, Antonio Maurogiovanni, has continued to see a line through the unprecedented challenges faced by his team of Olympic hopefuls.

Amidst a big ramping up of preventative measures due to the spread of Covid-19, the university Colours Races, set for Saturday, became the latest casualty in a complete wipeout of domestic on-the-water competition this year so far.

The World Cups in Italy in April and May were cancelled earlier this week and the National Rowing Centre has been limited to the Olympic squad.

“Our focus right now is what is best for our athletes, coaches and staff,” Maurogiovanni told The Irish Times during the week.

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“The athletes will continue to prepare for the final Olympic Qualification [regatta] and World Cup Three in May and for the Olympic Games in July. We are reviewing our planned training camps abroad, and any decision will be based on what’s best for our team.”

Plans to hold the Ireland Trial this month were still in train on Thursday. The Ireland lightweight group return from a camp in Seville in Spain this weekend.

The organisers of the Colours Races explored a number of avenues on Thursday, including holding a more restricted event at Islandbridge or Blessington but after the Government announcement they chose to cancel. There is a faint hope that they may be able to stage the event later in the year.

Irish club rowers have worked on fitness indoors, but experienced not one minute of outdoor racing. Now, because of Covid-19, indoor training will be curtailed or cancelled. And still the weather is bad.

Good news comes from unlikely sources. Dr David McKeown, a mechanical engineer who says he is more at home with rockets than rowing boats, came to the rescue of young Skibbereen man Eoghan Barry in The Big Fix on RTÉ, shown on Wednesday night.

Big screen

McKeown built a special arm and modified the boat so that Barry, who has no right hand, could feather his oar. Rowing rules generally specify that a modification is allowed if all competitors have full access. McKeown is happy to oblige.

“The stuff that I designed, I’m going to share, so anyone can use it,” he said.

Fans of rowing on the big screen look set for a treat. George Clooney has come on board to direct The Boys in the Boat, based on the memorable book about the unfancied University of Washington eight who took the Olympics of 1936 by storm. And now in post production is Swing, starring Michael Shannon as rowing coach Jack Murphy.

Maybe all these Irish names are a good omen for Ireland in Olympic year. Clooney has cousins in Abbeyleix and visited them in 2019.

Meanwhile, Rowing Ireland has asked clubs to make decisions on a case by case basis in regard to restricting activities. They warn about the dangers of gyms for breeding germs and recommend that those training outdoors should not shower at the club; they should also be extremely careful in keeping equipment clean.