FINTAN McCarthy took a break from his transition from Olympic lightweight rowing legend to the new kid on the heavyweight block to pick up his THIRD West Cork Sports Star of the Year award on Saturday night.
Following yet another incredible year that saw Fintan and Paul O’Donovan row to Olympic greatness after defending their lightweight men’s double sculls title at the Paris Games, the Skibbereen dream team scooped the top prize at the West Cork Sports Star Awards at the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery.
With Paul unable to attend due to work commitments (he was represented by his mom Trish), Fintan took centre stage as he accepted the award on their behalf.
‘This is pretty good, third time’s a charm!’ he quipped afterwards in reference to this being the THIRD time (2021, 2022 and 2024) that he has taken home the most prestigious award in West Cork sport.
As a duo, Fintan and Paul have now surpassed the two awards that Skibbereen rowers Eugene Coakley and Timmy Harnedy won in 2003 and ’05, which makes the current Olympic champions the most successful team in the history of the West Cork Sports Star Awards. Yet more bragging rights for Fintan and Paul, who are now stepping into the world of heavyweight rowing since their lightweight event was dropped from the Olympic schedule after the Paris Games.
‘Because we knew that this day was coming, even getting the extra Olympics in Paris as lightweights was nearly a bonus for us because it was meant to be gone after Tokyo,’ Fintan explained.
‘We’ve had a lot of time to come to terms with it and make plans for after so for me it was either pack it in or go heavyweight after Paris.
‘I did take a big break after Paris and took stock of stuff and reevaluated things, so it’s looking like heavyweight life for the moment and we’ll see how it goes. Training is going pretty well and I’m still enjoying it, which is the main thing. We’ll see what happens.’
From left, John Paul McNamara, C103; Helen Wycherley, Celtic Ross Hotel; Trish O'Donovan (representing her son Paul, joint overall winner); Fintan McCarthy, joint overall winner; Lisa Fallon, special guest; Ann Downey, general manager Celtic Ross Hotel; and Kieran McCarthy, sports editor, The Southern Star.
Fintan has always been a fan of certainty, so dipping his oars into the unknown and stepping into the world of heavyweights also brings unpredictability because no-one knows what is going to happen. Because Fintan and Paul dominated the world of lightweight rowing, they know better than anyone that there are absolutely no guarantees that success will transition with them. They will also compete against current Irish heavyweight rowers for places in Irish boats.
‘When it comes down to it, all you can do is train and hope you are fast enough,’ Fintan explains.
‘I am in a race against the clock at the moment because I took a big break so I am not hugely fit, but now that I am back the numbers are coming down. They are not where they were in our lightweight days and it will take another bit until I’m in really good shape for a rower, but I am enjoying the challenge of it.
‘I thought maybe it would be a bit overwhelming and a bit too much, but it’s been fine.
‘I am cramming fitness at the moment because we have a set of trials in February and in April before the Europeans. We’ll see where we land.’
As of now, what Fintan’s year on the water will look like remains unclear. The 2025 European Rowing Championships (May 29th to June 1st) in Bulgaria and the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai (September 21st to 28th) are possibilities, but the Aughadown man just has to wait and see what happens.
‘There are some races during that year that we may be at or Paul may be at or I may be at. We don’t know to be honest,’ Fintan says. ‘Because there are no weight classes any more and everyone is in the same mixing pot, we don’t know what boats will be going or who will be in what boat. It’s about training at the moment and seeing where we land when it comes to the trials. It’s every man for themselves at the moment! We have some good talent and good depth in Irish rowing so let’s see what happens.’
So, while there are many uncertainties right now on the rowing front, the one certainty is that Fintan and Paul have regained their West Cork Sports Star of the Year crown, and Fintan wears it well, especially as he can share moments like this with family and friends and the great folk at Skibbereen Rowing Club.
‘I know I have said it before, but it’s the people in the club, our friends, family and neighbours, they are the ones who have been there all along and have seen what it’s taken to get to this level. And they are there on the bad days too, so just to give back a little to them and have a chat and a catch-up on a night like this is really special too. I always love these sports awards,’ Fintan smiled.
‘The support (from the club) is all the time and it is amazing. That’s a part of what has kept us rowing, that community and that pride that they get from seeing us compete, but also the pride that we have representing them. They really did change our lives.’
It works both ways, as Fintan and Paul have delivered many memorable moments over the years, too, the latest being last Saturday night as the Skibbereen rowing legends were hailed as the best in the west, again. A title they deserve.
