Olympic lightweight double sculls champions Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy dominated yet another final as they swept to victory at the European Rowing Championships in Munich yesterday.
The duo were in second place at the behind Switzerland before taking control of the race.
They finished a massive 3.68 seconds ahead of Italy, with the Swiss a further 1.27 seconds back in third.
It was the duo’s second gold medal at a European Championships.
O’Donovan now has four world titles, two Olympic medals and three European titles and is ranked among the all-time greats of his sport.
Racing in lane three, he and McCarthy stalked the Swiss for much of the 2000m race, with the Italian crew back in third.
However, with 500m to go, the Skibbereen duo surged clear as the others faded, to finish in a time of six minutes 34.72 seconds.
The duo have proven a dominant force in the event in recent years, winning gold at the Worlds in Ottensheim in 2019, at the European Championships in Varese in 2021 and at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Reflecting on the win, McCarthy, 25, said: “It was a tough old race. There was a kind of a headwind out there, it was longer than what we’re used to.”
Their next port of call should be next month’s World Championships in Racice, but O’Donovan cast doubt on his participation.
“That’s a question at the minute. I have to go back to school next week and I suppose most people have realised I’m a bit stupid!” the UCC medical student said self-deprecatingly.
“I need all the time studying I can get so that I don’t fail everything and have an absolute disaster. The World Championships may be in question for myself, we’ll see.”
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