Ireland concluded the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne with a silver medal for Fiona Murtagh, adding to Izzy Clements’ bronze from Saturday to complete a weekend that delivered two podium finishes and three A Final appearances.
The reigning World Champion led the field through the halfway mark in the women’s single sculls A final before becoming locked in a gripping duel with Great Britain’s Lauren Henry. Murtagh fought all the way to the finish to secure the silver medal while holding off a fast-finishing challenge behind her.
Earlier, Zoe Hyde and Mags Cremen secured a fourth-place finish in the A Final of the women’s double sculls. The race delivered drama from the opening strokes, with the Netherlands eventually holding off the United States for gold, while the contest for bronze remained alive until the closing metres.
Hyde and Cremen stayed firmly in the hunt throughout before narrowly missing out on the podium.
Another major victory for the team was the successful reclassification of pararower Katie O Brien to PR1. After two years of personal challenges the former world champion at PR2 found herself back in a boat and racing for the first time at PR1. She shaved a remarkable 50 seconds off her time from heat to Final.