O’Toole brings a shot of experience to fours

THE wait for their Olympic assignment ends for Ireland’s oarsmen this morning when the Olympic Regatta gets under way at Schinias.

Sam Lynch and Gearoid Towey will launch the mission in the lightweight men’s double scull where they will be looking automatic qualification to next week’s semi-finals.

But, with qualification only available to the winning boat from each of the four heats, they could have to settle for another route to Thursday’s semi-finals and that will be in the repechages on Tuesday. They go in the fourth and final heat in lane three with Belgium and Uruguay inside and the USA and the Czechs outside.

The lightweight coxless fours will have three other boats to contend with in their heat a short time later and, with three go through to the semi-finals, they stand a great chance of getting through.

They face the USA, Australia and Russia and if they maintain their recent form then they will be bang in contention.

The crew includes three members who have come through the under-23 squad, Corkman, Eugene Coakley, Paul Griffin from Tralee and Richard Archibold from Coleraine.

They got a shot of experience when Niall O’Toole was added to the squad. The 34-year-old Dubliner has two Olympics behind him and, after winning a silver medal at the world championships, he mixed it with the heavyweights in Barcelona but was dogged by illness for a long time afterwards.

He took a long break, had a family, but always knew that he deserved one last shot at Olympic glory.

Coach, Tony O’Connell, who himself rowed with the fours in Sydney, insists that O’Toole has arrived at precisely the right time.

“I know he will hate me for saying this but he is a legend and the other guys in the boat realise that,” he said. “He may not have affected the speed but he has brought that extra bit of experience into the equation.”

There are 21 boats in the doubles: Heat 1: China, Slovakia, Italy (world champions), Greece, Brazil and Cuba; Heat 2: Hong Kong, Spain, Hungary, France, Japan; Heat 3: Australia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Poland, Denmark; Heat 4: Belgium, Uruguay, Ireland, Australia and Russia.

Thirteen boats go in the fours: Heat 1: Austria, Canada, Holland, Spain; Heat 2: Denmark, Germany, Italy, Great Britain; Heat 3: USA, Ireland, Australia, Russia.

Also tomorrow Emma Robinson who competed in Sydney will begin her campaign at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

Shooter Derek Burnett will contest the qualifying rounds of the Trap, and the 3-Day Eventing team of Niall Griffin Edmond Gibney, Susan Shortt, Sasha Harrison and Mark Kyle will get their four-day campaign under way.