They got their season off to an ideal start last Sunday but there’s plenty more to come from Skibbereen’s Olympics-bound rowing brothers, insists Paul O’Donovan.
BY KIERAN McCARTHY
THEY got their season off to an ideal start last Sunday but there’s plenty more to come from Skibbereen’s Olympics-bound rowing brothers, insists Paul O’Donovan.
Lisheen siblings Gary and Paul O’Donovan won silver medals in the A final of the lightweight men’s double sculls at the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Italy last weekend, and Paul feels there’s a lot more to come.
The Irish crew (6:41.36) finished only 0.23 of a second behind winners South Africa (6:41.13), who are Olympic gold medalists and world record holders.
‘It’s been a long winter and we were away for a good bit of it, doing long blocks of training. We didn’t get a chance to test the legs until last weekend and it’s encouraging to see that we are moving in the right direction,’ Paul said.
‘It’s a big boost to our confidence. We are very happy with our result but we’re not satisfied either. We want to push on and get better.
‘With a bit more experience of racing against these top guys that will push us on a bit more as well. We know that physically we are level with the top guys, and it’s experience that will make the difference between winning and losing.’
Next up for Gary and Paul are the European Rowing Championships in Brandenburg in early May – another chance for the Skibbereen brothers to show that they mean business in this Olympic year.
‘The result will not go unnoticed. We will definitely be guys to watch at the European Championships in Berlin,’ Paul said.
‘People are starting to take notice now but it doesn’t change the fact that every race is about the fastest person from A to B. You still have to do it on the day.’
