Dan Delaney is one of 20 athletes still in contention for the Best Rower 2021 award, which will be announced in April. With funding from Sport Ireland, Delaney has spent the past couple of months working as a director for Ireland at the World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Delaney made his senior debut for Ireland in November 2017 at the Age Grade 7 World Championships in Varese, Italy, rowing at U23 level in the lightweight quad scull. Delaney started rowing with English Rowing Club when he was 13 years of age, with whom he finished in second place at the Under-16 National Championships in 2010.
He moved to NUIG to study Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and, with the support of NUIG and British Rowing, he began the transition to the senior team in 2015.
"I rowed for London RC while in school at U16 level and spent two years there and two years after school," Delaney says. "From there I went back to UCD and was a member of Leander Club and then Irish U23's. The last four years have been spent in Ireland with Leander at Under 23 level.
"With rowing in Ireland, you're always on the doorstep of a medal but it has to be in an Irish Championship final. I'm absolutely delighted to have made my senior debut in Varese, even more so for having taken part in two World Rowing Cups last year, two World Cups this year and having a pretty successful year."
"I was pretty well convinced that rowing was not for me," Delaney adds. "I would be sat on my own in the bow of a boat and you'd be sitting there not knowing what to do and thinking: 'Is this for me?'
"But then you train for five, six or seven months and you sort of think 'Maybe I can do this after all' and you just gradually build up to that."
When I was 16 I didn't really want to go to the gym, I didn't really enjoy it but suddenly I found myself loving it
Delaney had his eye on the lightweight double scull since he first rowed in it.
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