ROWING:COMPETITION IS the life of trade – and of improving as an athlete if Irish women's rowing is to be taken as a test case. The standard has ratcheted up a number of notches in recent seasons, and the elite again flexed their muscles in the National Assessments in Newry over the weekend.
Ireland’s top heavyweight, Sanita Puspure, was one of a host of athletes to set personal bests in the ergometer (rowing machine) tests on Saturday, clocking an excellent six minutes 46 seconds.
Her fellow triallist at this weight, Eimear Moran, yesterday paid tribute to the friendly rivalry which has helped the Offaly woman also come in with a time (six minutes 54 seconds) – well under the seven minutes which was formerly the benchmark.
In sublime, sunny and calm conditions on Newry canal yesterday, it was the turn of lightweights in the five-kilometre time trial. Siobhán McCrohan (23) came home fastest of all, beating both Puspure and Claire Lambe, whose time was nonetheless the best when weighting was given to her status as an under-23 athlete.
In fact, the UCD scholarship athlete is just 20, and has three seasons to look forward to at underage level.
The absence of Colin Williamson (ill) and Sean Jacob (family bereavement) greatly weakened the heavyweight men’s ranks. Lightweight oarsman Michael Maher was the fastest over the distance, with Niall Kenny top-ranked given his under-23 status status.
