Murtagh and Keogh edge closer to fulfilling their Olympic dreams

AS the crow flies, Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh were reared on the west wing of Galway city about six miles from each other.

Due to a three-year gap in their ages, their club and university rowing careers didn’t overlap, but now the Galway pair are an integral part of an Irish Women’s Four which is on the brink of qualification for this year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Murtagh from Moycullen and Keogh from Na Forbacha, together with Eimear Lambe and Emily Hegarty, have next month’s Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne in their sights after the crew’s spectacular effort in the European Championships over the weekend.

The Irish four came within half a second of claiming gold at the expense of reigning champions, the Netherlands, with a powerful late surge that saw them overhaul Great Britain for silver medal glory.

You’d imagine that now being the second highest rated in Europe would automatically qualify the Irish crew for Tokyo, but that’s not how rowing works and all hinges on the outcome in Lucerne in May.

The six A finalists from the World Championships in 2019 automatically won their passage to the Olympic Games, with Ireland and China also expected to get through when they lined up for the B final held in Linz, Austria.

Ireland and China were in the favoured middle lanes based on times posted already in the championships, but a strong crosswind had a disproportionate impact on their performance, allowing the more sheltered boats of Great Britain and Canada to clinch the two remaining Olympic qualifying places.

Keogh was on that Irish crew, with fellow Galwegian Murtagh stepping up to international level in the interim. Though both were delighted and proud of their silver medal winning performance on Sunday, they are already focused on next month’s date with destiny.

The Irish women will remain in Italy to continue their preparations for Lucerne and when speaking to the Connacht Tribune on Monday, Aifric and Fiona wanted to articulate their appreciation for all the messages of congratulations they have received since winning European silver.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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