THE two halves of the best lightweight men’s double sculls in the world both had busy Fridays, but not together in the boat.
Olympic champion Fintan McCarthy – partnered by Hugh Moore in the Irish lightweight double – qualified for the A final of the event at the European Rowing Championships in Slovenia after a third place A/B semi-final finish, while much closer to home Paul O’Donovan graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in medicine from UCC.
Paul’s college commitments was the reason he was not involved at the recent Europeans, but his plan is to get back on the water and, ultimately, he’ll be back in the boat alongside Fintan. Together, they’ve won Olympic gold and multiple World and European titles, and are the two men that move that boat faster than anyone else.
‘I’m going to get back to training properly in the next few weeks,’ the Lisheen man confirmed on Friday, and when Paul and Fintan reunite, that will be good news for the Irish lightweight men’s double that relinquished its European crown.
Paul O'Donovan (right) with his brother Gary following his graduation at UCC.(Photo: Michael MacSweeney/Provision)
In a new partnership Fintan and Hugh Moore finished sixth in the A final, with Switzerland, Italy and Greece winning the medals; the Irish boat was just behind the Czech Republic and the Ukraine.
This is the year boats can qualify for the 2024 Olympics so expect to see a different Irish lightweight men’s double as the season progresses.
Skibbereen rower Aoife Casey was also in action at the Europeans, partnering Margaret Cremen in the Irish lightweight women’s double. Bronze medallists at last year’s Worlds, they finished fifth in the European A final in their first major international competition of the year. The Irish duo burst out of the blocks, but Great Britain, Greece, France and Poland all finished ahead of the all-Cork boat, who will, like its lightweight men’s counterpart, focus on the World Rowing Championships in September – the first opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in Paris next year.
