Eight young Irish athletes will represent Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, on 2-3 October 2026.

The team brings together athletes with previous international Beach Sprint experience alongside a number of young rowers stepping onto the international stage for the first time. The Irish crews will compete across the Junior Men’s and Women’s Singles, Junior Double and Junior Mixed Double events.

The Coupe Beach Sprint brings together junior athletes from across Europe and provides an important opportunity for the next generation of Beach Sprint rowers to gain international experience.

🇮🇪 Meet the Team


🇮🇪 Junior Men’s Single – Peter Devins (Lee Rowing Club)

Peter Devins has been rowing for almost five years at Lee Rowing Club, where he has built valuable experience across both sculling and sweep rowing. He has enjoyed success at both national and international level, winning multiple medals in Ireland as well as gaining valuable international racing experience at Ghent International Regatta.

Peter only made the move into Beach Sprints last October, but has quickly developed his skills in the discipline and has embraced the new challenges that come with Beach Sprint racing.

His selection for the Coupe de la Jeunesse represents another important step in his development and will be a particularly special occasion, as it will be Peter’s first time representing Ireland. He will now take on the Junior Men’s Single in Figueira da Foz, looking to put his growing Beach Sprint experience to the test on the international stage.

🇮🇪 Junior Women’s Single – Maeve McLoughlin (Wicklow Rowing Club)

Maeve McLoughlin brings valuable international Beach Sprint experience to the Irish team, having already represented Ireland at the 2025 Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint in La Línea de la Concepción, Spain, where she raced in the Junior Women’s Double.
A member of Wicklow Rowing Club and Garda Rowing Club, Maeve has experience across both flatwater and coastal rowing and has continued to develop across the different disciplines.

Maeve enjoyed a strong 2026 coastal season, winning the Junior 18 Women’s Single at the 2026 Junior Coastal Championships in Bantry, adding another significant achievement to her growing racing experience.

She has also continued to develop her Beach Sprint skills through the Rowing Ireland pathway and will now take on the Junior Women’s Single at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Figueira da Foz, looking to build on her previous international experience and represent Ireland once again on the international stage.

🇮🇪 Junior Mixed Double – Ava Sexton (Courtmacsherry Rowing Club) & Adam Foley (Sligo Rowing Club)

Ava Sexton has already gained valuable international experience, having represented Ireland at the 2025 Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint, where she competed in the Junior Women’s Single. Ava has won the U16 Women’s Single at the Courtmacsherry Beach Sprints in 2025 and has collected multiple medals throughout the coastal rowing season in both traditional and sculling events. This year she also began competing in flatwater rowing with Lee Valley Rowing Club, winning the Under-18 Women’s Quad at Cork Regatta. She has also enjoyed success at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships (IIRC) across a number of different categories, highlighting her versatility across different areas of rowing.

Adam Foley has been rowing with Sligo Rowing Club in flatwater since 2022, before making the move into coastal rowing this year. He has made an immediate impact, winning gold in the Junior Men’s Single and Mixed Quad at the 2026 Coastal Championships. Adam has also enjoyed a highly successful Beach Sprint season, winning three gold medals and a silver at the Ring Beach Sprints.

The pair will now combine in the Junior Mixed Double at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Figueira da Foz, bringing together Ava’s international experience and Adam’s impressive first season in coastal and Beach Sprint rowing as they represent Ireland on the international stage.

🇮🇪 Junior Women’s Double – Sophie Reynolds (Athlone Boat Club) & Erika Morrow (Loughros Point Rowing Club)

Sophie Reynolds and Erika Morrow will combine in the Junior Women’s Double, bringing together two young athletes with valuable experience across Beach Sprints and other areas of rowing.

Sophie Reynolds, from Athlone Boat Club, has established herself as one of the promising young rowers coming through the Irish beach sprints pathway. She was selected for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games Beach Sprint trials and also won the U19 Women’s Single at Ring Rowing Club’s inaugural Beach Sprint regatta earlier this year.

Erika Morrow, from Loughros Point Rowing Club was also selected for the Youth Olympic games trials and has already gained international Beach Sprint experience, having represented Ireland at the 2025 Coupe de la Jeunesse, where she competed in the Junior Mixed Double. Erika has also enjoyed outstanding success in indoor rowing. She set a World Record in the Women’s 15–16 Indoor Rowing Marathon in Dec 2025 and in Jan 2026 Erika set another world record in the Women’s 15-16 30 minutes. Erica has continued to produce impressive performances on the Concept2 RowErg.

The two athletes will now join forces in the Junior Women’s Double at the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Figueira da Foz, bringing together Sophie’s Beach Sprint experience and Erika’s impressive multi-discipline background as they represent Ireland on the international stage.

🇮🇪 Junior Men’s Double – Fionn O’Neill (Wicklow Rowing Club) & Fiachra Corrigan (Kilmacsimon Rowing Club)

Fionn O’Neill, a member of Wicklow Rowing Club, took up flatwater and coastal rowing just 18 months ago and has made rapid progress in that time. He has won seven Coastal national titles, including a clean sweep of the J16 Single, Double, Quad and Mixed Quad at this year’s Junior Coastal Championships in Bantry. Fionn has also enjoyed success in Beach Sprints, winning gold in the J16 Single and J18 Mixed Double at the Courtmacsherry Beach Sprint Regatta.

Fiachra Corrigan is a versatile young rower competing across Coastal Endurance, Beach Sprints and flatwater rowing. He began in coastal rowing before taking up Beach Sprints with Kilmacsimon Swimming & Rowing Club and later adding flatwater rowing with Lee Valley Rowing Club. The 2026 Coupe de la Jeunesse will be Fiachra’s first major international Beach Sprint experience. Fiachra also enjoys passing on his knowledge, coaching through the Get Going Get Rowing programme as part of his Transition Year and introducing rowing to pupils at his local primary school.

The pair will now team up in the Junior Men’s Double in Figueira da Foz, bringing together two young athletes with experience across multiple disciplines.

🇮🇪 Our Support Team

  • Team Manager: Shaun Molloy (Loughros Point Rowing Club)
  • Female Chaperone: Teresa Keeney (Loughros Point Rowing Club)
  • Boat Handler: Barry O’Neill (Wicklow Rowing Club)
  • Boat Handler: Emma Morrow (Loughros Point Rowing Club)

With a mix of international experience and first-time debutants representing their country, these young athletes will now look forward to two days of racing in Figueira da Foz.

For some, it will be an opportunity to build on previous international experience, while for others it will be the start of their international Beach Sprint journey.

Best of luck to all five crews as they represent Ireland at the Coupe de la Jeunesse Beach Sprint! 🇮🇪