Two rowers with local links compete on world stage

Two talented rowers with Athlone links were in action at the U23 World Championships in Bulgaria last weekend.

One of them, Brian Colsh claimed a gold medal in the men's double sculls, while Rory O'Neill was unlucky to miss out on a medal.

Having won bronze last year, Colsh and Konan Pazzaia did even better this time around, winning gold in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The duo went out fast taking an early lead in their final, and it was a lead they never relinquished.

A native of Ballymote who honed his skills with Sligo Rowing Club, Brian is a grandson of Tom and Alice Colsh of Tormey Villas, Athlone.

Brian's father Tommy, a Garda Superintendent in Castlerea, was a stalwart member of the Athlone Boat Club when he was in his teens and also represented Marist College in rowing competitions.

Meanwhile, Rory O'Neill - who just missed out on the medals in the lightweight men's doubles - has grandparents from the Athlone area on both sides of his family. Rory is the grandson of Francie and Maura O'Neill from Ballykeeran, and Ian and Bernadette Wilson from The Elms, Cartrontroy.

Rory is from Castleconnell, Co. Limerick and he rows for University of Limerick and his former club was Castleconnell Boat Club.

O'Neill and Ciaran Purdy (Queen's University BC) finished in fourth place on a day when luck wasn't on their side.

They were in sixth place through the halfway mark but the second 1000m saw the lightweight duo start to move towards the top places.

With 300 metres to go, they found themselves in third and were actively gaining on Spain for the silver spot. However, disaster struck 50 metres out from the line when Purdy and O'Neill caught a boat stopping crab pulling them out of the podium positions.