Galway rowers were among the medallists at the recent annual World Rowing Master’s Regatta on Lake Velence, Hungary.
Galway rowers were well represented with a large contingent from Tribesmen Rowing Club and Galway Rowing Club.
Tribesmen and Galway Rowing Club competed as club crews, while GRC’s Adrian McCallion, Ray Carroll and Malachy McGlynn won three events each as part of Irish composite crews, who this year set a new record with 16 wins.
Adrian McCallion was in the pivotal three seat in the coxed four, with ex-UCG oarsman, Mike Heavey in the number two seat, and after a struggle over the initial stages, the crew performed magnificently to pulled away from the rest of the field with the Briitsh crew in second.
Tribesmen women’s eight contested the E8 (average age 55 years ) event. A German composite crew pulled away from the field over the first half of the race, but Tribesmen left nothing behind in contesting second place, but were pipped over the final few metres to finish a credible fifth with only a couple of seconds separating second and sixth. It was a huge performance from women who only started rowing later in life.
The medals continued on day two with Ray Carroll winning in the C4 coxless four as part of a crew that had been training all year. Carroll repeated the performance in the Masters D8 (average age 50 years ), which was coxed superbly by GRC’s Malachy McGlynn. Winners at the prestigious London Head of River in late March, they led from start to finish.
McGlynn was in the hot seat again alongside McCallion and former Galwegian Denis Crowley in the E8 event. Having won the last five World Masters E8 events, they were on song again, forcing the GB crew into second place and Russia in fourth place.
Another very notable competitor was Sean Heaney. After a horrific skiing accident in February he defied medical expertise in not alone competing but finishing in a super third place in the single sculls.
