With the rowing season well underway, Fermanagh's Ross Corrigan, said he is the fittest he has ever been after he set a new Indoor World Record for 10,000m during a training camp in Italy last weekend.

Corrigan who is hoping to be selected for the Ireland team for the upcoming Paris Olympics alongside fellow Fermanagh man, Nathan Timoney, set a new time of 32.06 in the 19-29 age category on a slide machine beating the previous time of 32.30.

Speaking after returning from Italy, Corrigan admitted that the record was beatable and he feels he could do it again.

"I had been sick earlier on in the week and then I had a bit of a head cold. So I ended up taking Monday and Tuesday off.

"And then we have to do a 10k on a Friday on the training programme.

"To be honest, I knew it was going to be a handy enough break record to break and I'd say I could probably break it again.

"It's not the most crazy record for a world record. It was fairly manageable so I just went off and kind of saw how I was feeling.

"I did it at home a couple of weeks ago in training. I was like nine seconds off it so then.

"I went off last Saturday and I saw how I was feeling and then if I feel good, I'll just tip it on at the end and push it down for a record which is basically what I did."

Corrigan said it was nice to have something to aim for during training as well as having a bit of fun during an intense period for him the and rest of the Irish rowers.

"The way I saw it, it was just going to be a bit of a training session anyway.

"It was a bit of fun but you kind of need to set yourself just something fun as well to do between times to train towards or even to try and push the boundaries in the training session and see what you can do.

"More so than any record or anything for me it was just that I know it's the fittest I've been at the minute. I'm the fittest I've ever been.

"That's what I take from it more than any record. It's kind of fun to do it as well and everything like that.

"Some of the team we're training as well at the time then they finished up just before me and were shouting at me. It just gets the team excited and creates a bit of morale and something to talk about for a couple of days and joke about and have a bit of craic."

Now back in Ireland, Corrigan is getting ready for the Olympic trials which are due to start in the coming weeks.

This will also see him be selected for the World Cup in April.

And he said training has been going well for Timoney and himself. There have been some setbacks but they are pushing themselves to make sure they are in Paris this summer.

"It's up to us just to do the business.

"We've had challenges, it's not plain sailing. It never is.

"And especially like this is our first full year in the boat together.

"I think we've brought a high level of expectation between ourselves, we have high standards, both in training and in competition, which is good.

"We've had sickness, I had Covid at the start of the year and Nathan's back sometimes flares up and we've had niggles here and there.

"You're just trying to stay healthy among it all and we're at a point where the training level is high and you're trying to get the most out of it you're pushing harder.

"We're always testing that line. It's almost a good sign in my opinion, because you know, then you're pushing it and kind of pushing boundaries. We're happy with the progress we've made."