Fiona Murtagh claims second medal for Ireland at Rowing World Cup

World champion Murtagh took silver in the single sculls final

Fiona Murtagh celebrates with her silver medal in Lucerne. Pic: Conor Lyall.

Ireland concluded the rowing World Cup in Lucerne with a silver medal for Fiona Murtagh, adding to Izzy Clements' bronze from Saturday. It complete a weekend that delivered two podium finishes and three A Final appearances.

Reigning world champion Murtagh produced another performance of authority in the single sculls A final, leading the field through the halfway mark before becoming locked in a gripping duel with Great Britain's Lauren Henry. In one of the highest-quality races of the weekend, Murtagh fought all the way to the finish, showing remarkable composure under pressure to secure the silver medal while holding off a fast-finishing challenge behind her.

Earlier, Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen confirmed their growing stature in the double sculls with a fourth-place finish in an outstanding A Final. The race delivered drama from the opening strokes, with the Netherlands eventually holding off USA 1 for gold, while the contest for bronze remained alive until the closing metres. Hyde and Cremen stayed firmly in the hunt throughout before narrowly missing out on the podium in a performance that underlined their ability to compete with the very best crews in the world.

Another major victory for the team was the successful reclassification of pararower Katie O'Brien to PR1. After two years of personal challenges the former world champion at PR2 found herself back in a boat and racing for the first time at PR1. She shaved a remarkable 50 seconds off her time from heat to final and has set a standard for the rest of the season and indeed the Paralympic cycle.

Ireland's second women's double of Sophia Young and Alison Bergin rounded off the regatta byr dloW finishing second in the B Final. Having missed out on A final qualification by just 0.6 seconds, the Irish crew push home Swiss crew all the way to the line in front of an appreciative Lucerne crowd.

Natalie Long and Imogen Magner also ended their weekend on a positive note, taking third in the women's pair B Final. Racing into a headwind in cooler morning conditions, the Irish crew sat second at halfway before maintaining their composure to secure a podium finish behind Australia and South Africa.

The Men's quadruple scull of Konan Pazzaia, Andrew Sheehan, Ryan Spellman and Martin O'Grady finished fourth in their B final. Fifth through halfway as Czechia and Poland established the early pace, the Irish crew continued to battle throughout as Switzerland produced a strong finish to delight the home supporters. Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney completed their regatta with fifth place in the men's pair B final.