Monika Dukarska. Picture: SPORTSFILE
Ireland’s Monika Dukarska has been crowned World Coastal Rowing champion in the women’s solo for the second year in succession.
In very high temperatures, the Killorglin woman (33) crossed the line in Genoa second, behind Diana Dymchenko of Azerbaijan. However, Dymchenko was disqualified for missing a buoy.
Dukarska, who was born in Poland but moved to Ireland as a teenager with her family, has won five world titles. She won the solo in 2009, 2016 and 2023 and also won the mixed doubles, with Ronan Byrne, in 2023.
Ireland had one crew which just missed out on a medal – the women’s coxed quadruple finished fourth. There were also two seventh-place finishes, in the men’s double (Noel Creedon and Neil O’Sullivan) and the women’s coxed quadruple. Kealan Mannix finished 10th in the men’s solo.
The A Finals were run a day early, on Saturday, because of the forecast of thunderstorms on Sunday.
The action moves on to the World Beach Sprints at the same venue next week: this event will be an Olympic discipline at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.