Galway rowers Keogh and Murtagh shine in European Championships

TWO Galway elite sportswomen have got a major confidence boost in their quest to qualify for this year’s rearranged Olympic Games in Tokyo.

For Aifric Keogh from Na Forbacha and Fiona Murtagh from Moycullen were members of the Irish Women’s Four which produced a sensational performance in the finals of the European Rowing Championships on Sunday.

Fifth in the early part of the race held in Varese, Italy, the Irish four came storming through the field to give defending champions and hot favourites, the Netherlands, a mighty scare close to the line.

Only 0.45 seconds separated the Irish and the Dutch after the gruelling 2,000m final as Keogh, Murtagh, Eimear Lambe and Emily Hegarty collected only Ireland’s second medal of the championships.

Going one step better than when finishing third in the Europeans last year, the in-form Irish quartet will now be turning their sights to the Olympic qualifier in Lucerne next month.

With Hegarty replacing Aileen Crowley from the 2020 crew, the Irish women had served notice of their intentions with an impressive showing in their heat last Friday

Though Russia took the early lead, followed by Ukraine, Ireland upped their stroke rate to such an extent as the race evolved that they ended up eight seconds clear of their rivals in the fastest time of the day.

With their final opponents also including Great Britain and the Italians, who had denied the Irish crew a silver medal in Poznan, it had all the hallmarks of another fierce battle for places on the podium.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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