LAST UPDATE | 2 Aug

IRISH ROWERS PAUL O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy have won a gold medal in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls final.

The reigning champions from Cork successfully defended their title to claim back-to-back golds, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:10:99.

Italy’s Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares took the silver medal with a time of 6:13.33, pipping Greece’s Antonios Papakonstantinou and Petros Gaidatzis in a photo finish (6:13.44).

What. It. Means. 🥇

Fintan 🗣️ “it’s been a a privilege rowing with Paul and under coach Dominic for my whole rowing career.” 🥹#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/ylgtGWVGYF

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) August 2, 2024

The win means O’Donovan has made history as the first Irish athlete ever to win medals at three Olympic Games, having won in Rio, Tokyo and now in Paris.

Speaking to RTÉ after the win, O’Donovan said: “It’s a good day for the Irish”. 

He said the pair “stuck with it” and trained hard “against all the odds”.

“Italy out there today were the number one seed. [They] really put it up there and Greece – underdogs like ourselves – also put in a big dig and got up onto the medal podium. Unfortunately Switzerland missed out,” O’Donovan said.

We’re very happy to have proved the doubters wrong.

McCarthy said he had had a “rocky enough” season and that it was “really nice to get a few good races under our belt early”. 

“I was trying to keep under wraps the nerves and the doubts, but coming out for the final, there were no nerves,” he said.

“We had some really good rounds and I really felt like we were back at our best for this race. It’s just amazing to be here in front of all our family and everyone supporting us, especially from the club.”

He said it had been “a crazy, crazy journey” over the last few years and deemed it “the privilege of a lifetime” to be rowing with O’Donovan. 

Asked about being the first Irish person to medal at three Olympic Games, O’Donovan said: “That’s a fluke in my eyes.”

He commended the support the pair have received from home and in Paris.

“The grandstands were green and there were tricolours everywhere, the French were drowned out. That was really great to see all over from Skibbereen and Ireland, everywhere,” he said.

“Even the French volunteers in the boat park and a load of other countries as well that have crews in this event were really cheering us on this morning and all week so we really appreciate the support. It’s fantastic.”

Congratulations

President Michael D. Higgins wished the pair congratulations on social media, commending them on their “brilliant achievement in retaining their Olympic title with a wonderful Gold medal in the lightweight double sculls”.

“Paul and Fintan are phenomenal sportsmen who have represented the country with immense distinction.”

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who also hails from Cork, said: “What a race by two of our greatest ever athletes. Immensely proud day for Ireland and Skibbereen.”

Fellow Cork TD and Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns wished “guge congrats to Paul and Fintan on an absolutely amazing race”.

“Back-to-back olympic gold medals is an absolutely incredible achievement. And Paul has made history as Ireland’s first athlete to medal in three Olympics,” Cairns said.