Galway rower Siobhan McCrohan has helped Ireland secure its first women’s World Cup final placing in four years.
A member of Tribesmen Rowing Club, McCrohan had teamed up with UCD's Claire Lamb to contest the women's lightweight double scull at the World Cup Regatta in Slovenia - one of three that attracts the cream of world rowing.
As the only Olympic event for lightweight women, the World Cup events are highly competitive, yet this young u-23 pair produced a performance beyond all expectation against highly-rated European and World medal holders.
The Irish girls blasted away from the start in their heat, and refused to fade. Despite the attentions of the world silver medalist Poles and the Italians, Ireland stormed home to win by three seconds. This qualified them directly for the semi-final where they obtained third place in the semi-final, again frustrating the Poles, Chinese and French.
In the final the crew managed to maintain fifth place until the British crew squeezed them into sixth in the final couple of hundred metres.
This young pair has deservedly been rewarded with Rowing Ireland/Afloat magazine's Rowers of the Month for May.
NUIG's Niall Kenny was also in action, and teamed with Skibbereen's Justin Ryan, contested the lightweight men's double scull. The men's boat qualified for the C final for positions 13 to 18, coming in third, or 15th overall.
