Ireland rowing for glory in Sunshine State

Teams from 69 nations have started to make Sarasota-Bradenton in Florida a home from home ahead of the World Rowing Championships this weekend.

World Rowing confirmed the championships will proceed as planned as Hurricane Irma damage in the area was limited.

Unfortunately, one of Ireland’s top medal hopes — the men’s lightweight double sculls crew of Gary and Paul O’Donovan — will not feature.

The absence of the Olympic silver medal-winning Irish double is due to the withdrawal of Gary O’Donovan because of illness, leaving brother Paul to race in the lightweight men’s single sculls.

Expectations remain high for Paul in the single, not least due to the fact that he is the reigning world champion.

Skibbereen’s Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll will compete in the lightweight men’s pair, rounding off an incredible year for the crew. They remain unbeaten in this category across the three World Cup events in 2017, and aim to add a world crown to their title of European champions.

A newly formed heavyweight men’s pair of Patrick Boomer (Belfast RC) and Fionnan McQuillan-Tolan (NUIG) will compete, as well as a women’s equivalent in the shape of Aileen Crowley (UCD) and Aifric Keogh (UCC).

The two remaining women’s crews are double Olympian Sanita Puspure of Old Collegians in the women’s single sculls, and 2017 European silver medallist Denise Walsh from Skibbereen in the women’s lightweight single.

RTÉ will provide live TV coverage from the semi-final stages. Racing begins on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Irish Rowing Masters competed in record numbers in Bled, Slovenia, for the 2017 World Regatta recently, winning a total of 15 boat events, ten more than last year in Denmark.

Arguably most impressive were the three winning “eights” events, which is usually the preserve of the bigger nations of Russia, Germany, Britain, and the USA.

There were over 6,000 boat entries from across the world in Bled, making it the biggest global sporting event in terms of participating numbers after athletics marathons.

Closer to home, coach Dominic Casey has been unveiled as September’s Cork Person of the Month.