Tipperary rower helps Yale University to success in Ivy League Championships

Daire Lynch, a member of Clonmel Rowing Club, who is in his second year at Yale University, has thrived in the highly competitive American system. He was victorious in the Eastern Sprints rowing championships on 19.05.19, in the third Varsity eight.

This is the second straight victory for Daire and the Yale team in one of the most highly competitive rowing events in the calendar.

The event took place in Worcester, Massachusetts. Yale comfortably reached the final with a win over Boston and Stanford in the heats. Having the first seed based on results over the course of the year meant that they were granted the advantage of the best lane for the final.

The 2 kilometre final race took off at a blistering pace, with Yale taking a one length advantage over rivals Harvard and Princeton University through the 1000 metre mark. The crew continued to extend this margin and picked it up towards the end, eventually winning by over four  seconds. Three of the other four  Yale boats also placed 1st in their respective races so the ‘Bulldogs’ picked up the overall team trophy.

“It's never automatic,” said Steve Gladstone, Yale’s legendary Head Coach of the Heavyweight Crew.

“There are vagaries out on the race course that can happen. When the race is completed, and that performance is as strong as it is, it's a very, very satisfying feeling. What's equally satisfying is the overall squad's performance.” 

Daire will now go on to compete in the IRA national championships in the 2nd varsity eight in Sacramento, California this coming weekend. The Yale team are looking to win a historic third National championship in three years. All races can be watched on ESPN and are also streamed on YouTube. 

He will return to Ireland for the summer but will not get much time to rest as he will start training again immediately at the National Rowing Centre in Cork, with a view to competing in the World Rowing Under-23 Championships in July.