Skibbereen Rowing Club's famous five rowers strut their stuff in Belgrade
LISHEEN’S finest, Gary and Paul O’Donovan have an excellent chance of medalling in the A final of the lightweight men’s double sculls at World Rowing Cup I in Belgrade on Sunday.
The Olympic silver medallists turned on the style to win their semi-final today by almost three seconds, beating crews from the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Serbia and Hungary.
Gary and Paul just needed to finish in the top three of this A/B semi-final but they showed their class to cruise to an impressive win – and they’re now right in the mix for a medal on Sunday.
It all means it’s a big day for Skibbereen Rowing Club’s five elite rowers on Sunday, as Denise Walsh races in the A final of the lightweight women’s single sculls (09:22 Irish time), and Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll compete in the lightweight men’s pair (09:10), the latter duo will just need to beat one crew to medal as only four crews from Great Britain, Hungary and Russia will compete.
Also today Sanita Puspure of Old Collegians Rowing Club, in the women’s single sculls repechage, needed to finish in the top two to qualify for the A final on Sunday, and took second position behind Great Britain’s Victoria Thornley to qualify. Out of the two repechage races today Puspure had the second fastest time, and will now race for a medal tomorrow at 12:33 Irish time.