Tiarnán O'Donnell eased into the PR2 Men's Single Scull final by smashing his personal best and winning his preliminary heat at the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Italy.
There was a slight tailwind on the first day of racing, creating fast conditions and quick times on the water.
The Paris Paralympian capitalised on the favourable conditions, recording a 15-second personal best in his heat with a winning time of 8:41.80.
O'Donnell had established a 10-metre lead by the 500-metre mark and went on to win by a five-second margin over second-place Uzbekistan.
Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions on Sunday, the PR2 M1x A Final has been moved forward to 2pm (Irish time) to Saturday when the Limerick man will be a strong favourite.
