Olympic rowing delight for Pallaskenry's Sean O'Neill
LIMERICK rower Sean O'Neill has been confirmed as a member of the Irish heavyweight men's four for next month's Beijing Olympic Games.
The Pallaskenry man and the remainder of the Irish crews will travel to Beijing on July 27, where they will be based in the Olympic Village.
The 2008 Olympic regatta will be held at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park on the side of the Chaobi river from August 9-17.
While there was delight for O'Neill this week, there is heartbreak for James Wall, from Clancy Strand, who misses out.
This Tuesday, the Irish Amateur Rowing Union announced the composition of both crews, that they have nominated to the Olympic Council of Ireland for the Beijing Games.
The heavyweight men's four (M4-) that secured Olympic qualification at last year's World Championships sees two changes from the crew that raced in the recent World Cup series.
Jonno Devlin and Sean Casey who raced in a heavyweight pair this season come into the middle of the Irish boat for Beijing, Pallaskenry's O'Neill, a member of St Michael's Rowing Club, switches to the stroke seat in place of Alan Martin, and Cormac Folan switches to the bow seat in place of James Wall, another member of ST Michael's Rowing Club.
Alan Martin has been selected to travel to the Beijing as the spare man for the boat.
Sean O'Neill, his heavyweight men's four colleagues and the crew of the lightweight four (LM4-) are in the middle of their final training camps ahead of the Games.
Under coach John Holland the lightweight four (LM4-) are working out of Varese in Italy, with Sean O'Neill and Ireland's heavyweight four (M4-) are finalising their preparations in St. Moritz, Switzerland under the expert tutelage of coach Harald Jahrling.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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