ROWING Four Irish boats to compete in second leg of Rowing World Cup

  
A team of four Irish boats, all in Olympic boat classes, is set to compete in the second leg of the Rowing World Cup series in Lucerne, Switzerland, next week (May 30th – 1st June). Crucially, this regatta is the last chance to test the field and finalise crew selection before the final Olympic qualification regatta in Mid June. Ireland already has one boat qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing; the heavyweight men’s four (M4-) which will compete in Lucerne.

The Beijing bound heavyweight men’s four (M4-) maintains its one change from the crew that qualified the nation place for the Games with James Wall in for Sean Casey, alongside Alan Martin, Cormac Folan and Sean O’Neill. The four took tenth in their first outing as this combination in Munich. Sean Casey will partner Jonno Devlin in the heavyweight men’s pair (M2-). With the benefit of more time together the duo will be hoping to improve on their Munich placing of nineteenth next weekend.

The lightweight men’s four (LM4-) of Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Gearoid Towey and Eugene Coakley, showed a strong return to form in Munich, returning to A final action (where they were fifth). With Olympic qualification as their immediate goal the four will be hoping to build on that performance, which saw them finish behind Germany (bronze); another non qualified boat, but over six seconds ahead of Serbia; another one of their main rivals for the two Olympic spots on offer at the qualification regatta in June.

The lightweight men’s double (LM2x) of Cathal Moynihan and Richard Coakley will also be in action in Lucerne, and hoping for an improved performance on their first outing together in Munich, where they placed twenty-fifth.

The overall World Cup champions are determined after a series of three regattas; Munich May 8th – 11th, Lucerne, Switzerland May 30-1st June, and Poznan, Poland from June 20th – 22nd, with the initial focus this year on the final Olympic qualifying regatta in Poznan, Poland from 15th-18th June where the last few Olympic spots will be decided.

Ireland already has one nation place secure for the Games in the heavyweight men’s four (M4-) but the athletes for that boat will not be selected until after the final World Cup in Poznan. The 2008 Olympic regatta will be held at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on the side of the Chaobi river from August 9-17th.
Ends.
Issued on behalf of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union by the Irish Sports Council

For Further Information:
Sinéad McElroy, Press Officer to the Irish team, Irish Sports Council; 01-8608804 or 087-6338512 smcelroy@irishsportscouncil.ie

Additional Information:
For competition schedule, live results and commentary visit www.worldrowing.com

IMAGES: Stock racing, training and feature pics of the team are available reproduction fee free from Sportsfile 01-4547400 www.sportsfile.com

Irish Team for World Cup II, Lucerne, Switzerland May 30th – June 1st
M4- Heavyweight Men’s Four
Alan Martin (NUIG)
Cormac Folan (NUIG)
Sean O’Neill (St. Michael’s)
James Wall (NUIG)

M2- Heavyweight Men’s Pair
Sean Casey (Muckross)
Jonno Devlin

LM4- Lightweight Men’s Four
Paul Griffin (Muckross)
Richard Archibald (Lady Victoria BC)
Gearoid Towey (Fermoy)
Eugene Coakley (Skibbereen)

LM2x Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls
Cathal Moynihan (Neptune)
Richard Coakley (Skibbereen)

Key Dates
Rowing World Cup 2:   Lucerne, Switzerland 30th May – 1st June
Final Olympic Qualifying Regatta: Poznan, Poland 15th-18th June
Rowing World Cup 3:   Poznan, Poland 20th – 22nd June
Olympic Regatta:   Beijing, China 9-17th August