Paul O’Donovan, whose interviews with his brother Gary were one of the highlights of the Olympics, has won gold at the world rowing championships, a fortnight after winning a silver medal in Rio.
The Corkman, who was thrust into the limelight with his brother following a series of entertaining TV interviews during their lightweight double sculls competition, won in the single sculls in Rotterdam on Saturday morning.
He finished 4.11sec clear of Hungary’s Peter Galambos. Slovakia’s Lukas Babac was third.
“The first stroke was bad, but then the second one was good so I went from there,” O’Donovan said. “At the 500m left I remembered I told my friends when I was in Rio that I would win here by open water, so I thought I should probably keep my promise. Then at 200m to go I guess I started smiling a little.”
The brothers, from Lisheen in West Cork, won Ireland’s first ever rowing medal at the Olympics and became web sensations following interviews in which they bemoaned the absence of Kerr Pinks at the athletes’ village in Rio and said they were disappointed not to compete in windy conditions because “it would have been a bit of craic”.
More than 10,000 people are expected to welcome them home at a civic reception in Skibbereen, where they train, next week.
