Rowing Ireland Send 11 Athletes To World Cup 2 Regatta

11 High Performance athletes have travelled to Aiguebelette, France, to compete in the World Cup 2. This event is the second installment of the 2014 World Cup series, the first World Cup took place in Sydney in March, where no Irish crews competed.

The event has attracted huge entries from across the world, 700 rowers from 46 countries, all keen to familiarise themselves with the venue. Next year Aiguebelette will host the 2015 World Rowing Championships, which will be the main Olympic Qualification event.

The athletes will be competing in eight events, including one Para rowing event. This is an important step for Irish crews on the road to the 2016 Olympic Games. The qualification event for the Olympics, the 2015 World Championships, will be held at the same venue in August next year.

Six of the athletes were selected based on their convincing performances at international events earlier this season: the highlight of which was Sanita Puspure's bronze medal at the European Championships. She will again compete in the Women's Single Scull.

Leonora Kennedy and Lisa Dilleen compete in the Women's Pair, (another Olympic classification boat).Eimear Moran and Monika Dukarska have also been selected to compete in the Women's Double Scull. Paul O'Donovan will again compete in the Lightweight Single Scull.

Ireland will be represented in the Lightweight Women's Double Scull, the only Olympic event for lightweight women, for the first time since 2012 by Claire Lambe and Denise Walsh.
Tom Kelly returns to the Irish team for the first time in 2014, after being selected to compete in the Men's Arms and Shoulders Single Scull, a Paralympic discipline.

"Our team, looking on the past two international regattas, are performing well." says High Performance Director, Morten Espersen, "The Women's Single Scull will be a very challenging event, but hopefully Sanita can again match the Olympic Champion, Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, as she did at the European Championships. The Women's Pair have shown great performances, hopefully this time they can get on the podium. This will be the last senior international event before the 2014 World Championships in August. After this regatta there will be a long period of tough training and evaluation of crews"

Results from the first day of racing is as follows:

LM1x Paul O'Donovan Heat 3 finished 1st and goes to the A/B Semi at 10-05 Saturday 21st
LM1x Mark O'Donovan Heat 1 finished 5th Repechage today 14-00. Forth in repechage - to C final tomorrow at 9,55
W2- Lisa Dilleen & Leonora Kennedy Heat 2 finished 3rd A/B Semi Saturday 12-00
LW2x Claire Lambe & Denise Walsh Heat 2 finished 3rd Repechage today 14-45. Second place for LW2x in their repechage. Through to semi-final on Saturday at 12.42.
10-15am W2x Eimear Moran & Monika Dukarska Heat 1 finished 5th Repechage today 15-15. Go through to C Final tomorrow - Time to be updated.
10-30am M1x John Keohane Heat 1 finished 5th Repechage today 15-20. Through to D Final, Race time to be updated.
11am W1x Sanita Puspure Heat 3 finished 2nd to AB Semis Saturday 15-20
9-40am LW2x Claire Lambe & Denise Walsh Heat 2 . Second place for LW2x in their repechage. Through to semi-final on Saturday at 12.42.
10-15am W2x Eimear Moran & Monika Dukarska Heat 1 finished 5th Repechage today 15-15. Go through to C Final tomorrow - Time to be updated.
10-30am M1x John Keohane Heat 1 finished 5th Repechage today 15-20. Through to D Final, Race time to be updated.
11am W1x Sanita Puspure Heat 3 finished 2nd to AB Semis Saturday 15-20

In Cork (Farran Woods) the final round of the 2014 Grand League regatta series takes place this weekend at the National Rowing Centre in Farran Wood, Co. Cork. 600 crews, and over 2000 competitors are set to participate in Cork Regatta, the last major regatta of 2014. The regatta will be a good indicator of form ahead of the Irish Rowing Championships, the pinnacle of the national rowing season, which will take place at the same venue in three weeks time, from 11-13 July.