Tipperary rowers were firing on all cylinders at World Masters Regatta

Clonmel rowers were firing on all cylinders when they were racing over five days at the 51st iteration of the World Masters Regatta, which was held in Banyoles, Spain.

All the crews race to win on the water, but off the water there is great camaraderie amongst all the competitors and great admiration for the older competitors.

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The oldest participant was 96-year-old Odilan Martins from Brazil, and there were scores of rowers in their 70s and 80s.These people are a great inspiration for the rest of us.

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Banyoles was the venue for the 1992 Olympics and the organisers ensured many of those Olympians returned for this event, including Matthew Pinsent, who won four Olympic gold medals.

The racing was fast and furious over the 1,000 metres course, with a race commencing every three minutes. 

Sandra Wall was defending the title which she won in the 2x last year. This year she teamed up with Eimear Moran from Commercial Boat Club in Dublin and these two women have oodles of power, which got them off to a great start.

At 500 metres it was nip and tuck with the German crew off over in Lane 2, and the two Irish girls never faltered on their way to a great win.

 Above: Clonmel's Roseanne Phelan and Keely Watson competed in the women's 2x

On Friday Paul Nugent was out in the composite 4x with Hein Timmerman, Shandon; Sean Heany, Galway RC and John O’Neill, Shandon. This crew were in the mix at 400 metres when they made their move on the leaders.

From there, it was a question of keeping an eye on the GB and Spanish boats and hoping that they had the aerobic capacity to finish the race. 

The icing on the cake for Clonmel Rowing Club came on Sunday when the mixed 4x battled gamely in their race with Mexico, who had two of the 1992 Olympians on board, and a fast-finishing GB crew.

The Mexicans blew up and the Clonmel boat kept their composure to record a memorable victory. 

These were fantastic results and the crews thank all their supporters who made it all possible.

The team was Branwen Kelly, Nell McCarthy, Roseanne Phelan, Sandra Wall, James McGrath and Paul Nugent. Brendan Wall was transport manager.