It was a successful start for the crews from Ireland as the Women's Four and Women's Single boats progress directly into the next round at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Switzerland. The weather stayed good all Sunday morning on the Rotsee, with calm conditions and clear skies.
The Women's Four of Emily Hegarty, Eimear Lambe, Natalie Long and Imogen Magner kicked off the regatta for Ireland finishing in second, just behind the Danish Four, in their preliminary race. Denmark had the best start of the group, taking the lead from the get go. Ireland stayed hot on their tails, keeping overlap right up to the last 500m. It was clear water then back to Poland, Japan, Spain and Chile, leaving Ireland in a good position in the race for lanes. It's all to play for on Tuesday, where the top two will earn their spots on the Paris line-up.
FOQ Regatta - Day 1 ✅
Ireland are off to a good start after day one of racing in Lucerne for the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta!
W4- Prelim 2nd -> Final
W1x Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
M1x Heat 1st -> Quarterfinal#greenblades #wearerowingireland pic.twitter.com/ll3VfeuPMt— Rowing Ireland (@RowingIreland) May 19, 2024
Sanita Puspure showed everyone what she's here for in the Women's Single Sunday morning, with a dominant performance in her heat. Taking a length off the field in the opening 500m, Sanita made it difficult for the other scullers to keep up right from the start. As the race progressed, she continued to put distance between herself and the other crews, finishing over 12 seconds ahead of second place.
She goes directly into the A/B Semi-final with the fastest time from the heats. She will ultimately need to finish in the top two to qualify for what would be her fourth Olympic games.
On the World Rowing website there will be a live race tracker and live audio commentary for every race, and live video streaming on Tuesday, from 9:00 onwards for all A-Finals.
Day 1 Results
- Women's Four Preliminary Race 2nd -> Final
- Women's Single Heat 1st -> A/B Semi
Final Olympic Qualification Regatta Team
High Performance Director - Antonio Maurogiovanni
Women's Four
- Emily Hegarty - Skibbereen Rowing Club
- Eimear Lambe - Old Collegians Boat Club
- Natalie Long - Lee Valley Rowing Club
- Imogen Magner - Carlow Rowing Club
- COACH - Giuseppe DeVita
Women's Single
- Sanita Puspure - Old Collegians Boat Club
- COACH - Ashlee Rowe
Staff
- Team Physio - Heather O'Brien
- Team Doctor - George Fuller
Report sourced from Rowing Ireland.
