HE is already the greatest Irish rower of all time but there was widespread disbelief this week when Olympic gold medallist Paul O’Donovan didn’t make the shortlist for the RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year award.
The Skibbereen rower hit new heights this year. In the Irish men’s lightweight double alongside Fintan McCarthy, he won Olympic, European and Henley Regatta gold, but, rather oddly, O’Donovan’s best-ever year wasn’t enough to warrant his inclusion in the RTÉ shortlist.
Closer to home, he was presented with a Celtic Ross Hotel West Cork Sports Star Monthly Award last Sunday and said: ‘It’s always good to be recognised locally. For me, these are the ones that mean the most.’
