Eight Irish crews took to the water today in St. Catharines, Canada.

Olympic Champion Paul O’Donovan powered through his heat in the Lightweight Single Sculls to secure his spot in the A/B semi-final with the second-fastest time overall. With fast times put down in the other three heats it is expected that Paul will face strong competitors in Friday’s semi-finals.

The 2023 U23 Double Sculls Champion, Brian Colsh, showcased his experience in today’s heats. Brian cruised through the race alongside UCC’s Adam Murphy, overcoming competition from Germany and Great Britain to secure their spot in the A/B semi-final on Wednesday. Ciaran Purdy and Donnacha Keeley were close behind Italy in the first half of the U23 LM2x heats. The pair went toe-to-toe with the Italians but made a strong push in the last 500 meters to move past the crew and finish in first place, securing a spot in the A final on Friday.

The M4x team of Shane Rafferty, Fergus Bryce, Donagh Claffey, and Finn O’Reilly also secured their spot in the A/B semi-final after finishing 2nd in their heat. The Cork pair of Sophia Monahan and Aine O’Mahony just missed out on direct qualification for the semis after finishing 3rd in a close heat.

The first crew to race was the U23 W2x of Holly Davis and Grace Healy. Despite a challenging heat, they fought hard and finished in fourth place, the pair will race in the repechage tomorrow. The Men’s Four of Liam Walter, Luke Dunleavy, Andrew O’Leary, and Rory Buckley will also race in the repechage tomorrow after finishing 5th in their heat. Andrew Sheehan battled through a strong field in the final race of the day, finishing fifth in his U23 M1x heat he will race the repechage tomorrow.

**Monday’s racing has been postponed due to poor weather conditions

Tuesday Schedule

15:47 – Lightweight Women’s Single Scull Heat ( Siobhan McCrohan)

19:42 – U23 W2x Repechage (Holly Davis, Grace Healy)

19:57 – U23 M4- Repechage (Liam Walter, Luke Dunleavy, Andrew O’Leary, Rory Buckley)

20:02 – U23 LW2x Repechage (Sophia Monahan, Aine O’Mahony)

20:27 – U23 M1x Repechage (Andrew Sheehan)