Ireland’s adaptive rowers have qualified for the final of the LTA Mixed Fours at the World Rowing Championships at Lake Karapiro in New Zealand today.
The mixed four adaptive crew won their repechage ahead of the USA, Italy, Russia and Poland and have now qualified for the A final which takes place on Thursday.
Team manager Joe Cunningham said: ‘This is the first time Ireland has had an adaptive crew in an A-final at a World Championships. Delight and relief were the two main emotions after the race.’
In the AS Men’s Singles category, sculler Karol Doherty dug deep in his repechage and sliced seven seconds off his best time to finish third, ahead of the USA and Australia, but unfortunately he was just one place outside of qualifying for the A-final. The Donegal man will now race the B final on Thursday.
Both crews race their finals this Thursday. The AS Men’s Singles will go at 1.33am Irish time and the LTA Mixed Fours go at 2.55am Irish time.
Adaptive rowing is a special category of rowing races for those with physical disabilities.
Racing is held over a 1,000 metre, rather than the standard 2,000 metre distance. In the mixed events half the crew must be male and the other female.
The coxswain may be of either gender and may be able bodied.
Adaptive events were added to the World Rowing Championships in 2002 and were recently introduced as an official event.
LTA Mixed Four team: Kevin du Toit (Reading BC), Shane Ryan (Castleconnell BC), Sarah Caffrey (Barnes Bridge Ladies BC) and Anne-Marie McDaid (Dublin Municipal RC) along with cox Helen Arbuthnot (Molesey BC).
World Rowing Championships, New Zealand, Day Three (Irish interest):
Legs, Trunk and Arms Mixed Coxed Four: Repechage (First Two to A Final): 1 Ireland (AM McDaid, S Caffrey, S Ryan, K Du Toit; cox: H Arbuthnot) 3:33.98, 2 United States 3:34.10; 3 Italy 3:35.51, 4 Russia 3:38.13, 5 Poland 3:49.65.
Arms and Shoulders Men’s Single Scull: Repechage (First Two to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Brazil (L Luna de Oliveira) 4:57.77, 2 Ukraine (A Kryvchun) 5:01.17; 3 Ireland (K Doherty) 5:02.66, 4 United States (R Harvey) 5:06.35, 5 Poland (R Studzizba) 5:10.31.
