Six Irish crews competing at World Cup II in Poznan have claimed medals with Ireland achieving fourth place on the medals table.
The W2- of Emily Hegarty and Fiona Murtagh began the medal streak with a bronze medal in their final. Coming up to the halfway mark the crew were bow ball to bow ball with the crew from Czech Republic. With each stroke, the crew in that third place position swapped back and forth, but it was the rowers from NUIG and UCC that held out and secured the medals.
Half an hour later Sanita Puspure and Zoe Hyde had their time on the podium. In the medal positions from the start, the crew went out as they intended to finish. Coming into the last few hundred metres the Chinese crew made a big effort to try to come through but the Irish crew made it over the line to secure silver medals.
The LW2x of Margaret Cremen from UCC and Lydia Heaphy from Skibbereen RC took off the starting blocks at a rate of 55 strokes per minute, leaving the rest of the field behind in those first few strokes. As the race developed, USA and Australia began to pull away but there was nothing separating the rest of the crews. It came down to a photo finish between the crew from Ireland and the crew from China, but it was the Irish that made it across first and won the bronze medals. In the end, there was only 0.3 seconds separating the crews from second place to fourth place.
The W4- of Eimear Lambe (Old Collegians BC), Tara Hanlon (UCC), Aifric Keogh (DULBC), and Natalie Long (Killorglin RC) came in winning the bronze medal and rounding up the Irish medal tally to six. An impressive final burst in the last 500m, moved the Irish crew from fifth place up to the bronze medal position.
On Saturday, Katie O’Brien took gold in the PR2 W1x in a new world record time while Fintan McCarthy claimed a silver medal in the LM1x.
Irish Results
PR2 W1x – Katie O’Brien – Gold Medal (World Record)
LM1x – Fintan McCarthy – Silver Medal
LM1x – Gary O’Donovan – 5th B Final
PR2 Mix2x – Katie O’Brien, Steven McGowan – 4th Place
W2- Fiona Murtagh, Emily Hegarty – Bronze Medal
W2x – Zoe Hyde, Sanita Puspure – Silver Medal
LW2x – Margaret Cremen, Lydia Heaphy – Bronze Medal
W4- Eimear Lambe, Tara Hanlon, Aifric Keogh, Natalie Long – Bronze Medal
