The team of Emily Kay, Lara Gillespie, Alice Sharpe and Kelly Murphy enjoyed a fast start and were placed third in the live rankings in the 1000m and 2000m splits.
And in a final push, Ireland finished fifth placed in the provisional rankings with four teams yet to race – with the top eight finishers qualifying for the first round on Thursday, October 13.
It came down to the final heat as Ireland finished just 0.815 seconds behind final qualifier the USA and 9th overall.
Despite missing out on qualification, the time came less than 0.2 seconds from breaking the Irish National Record set at the Nations Cup in Glasgow in April this year.
Ireland suffered a technical error in their initial attempt at a start but were shortly underway afterwards.
Emily Kay said:
“I think we’re both pleased and disappointed. We thought we were capable of being in the top eight, we would have liked to have qualified and got a second ride but that’s the fastest we’ve ever qualified. We've taken a step forward so it’s bittersweet.”
“Olympic qualifying is the top ten now so we’re within that and we definitely know there’s things we can change to take that step forward. We’re amongst it (the top ten in the world) and there’s a few on front of us that aren’t too far away, we can change some things and hopefully take more steps forward.”
While competing against the best in the world, the championships also serve as invaluable experience in preparing for the 2024 Olympics.
The Saint-Quentine-en-Yvelines
Team Ireland are in competition Thursday as Orla Walsh starts her World Championships in the early afternoon: she’ll be in Sprint Qualifying action from 1.27 pm.
