O'Donovan and McCarthy Strike Gold for Ireland in Paris.

Multi Sports Paris 2024 Olympics

Posted 2 months ago

O'Donovan and McCarthy Strike Gold for Ireland in Paris.

Ireland's Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy won gold in Paris, retaining their Olympic men's lightweight double sculls title.

With strong Irish support at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, O'Donovan and McCarthy delivered a dominant performance on the outskirts of Paris, defending their gold medal from Tokyo.

As they reached the pontoon, both rowers raised their arms in victory while chants of 'Ole, Ole, Ole' echoed. They finished with a time of 6:10.99, with Italy (6:13.33) and Greece (6:13.44) taking silver and bronze.

"I think it was always in doubt for everyone else; no one believed we could do it coming into this competition," O'Donovan told RTE. "Against all the odds, we stuck with it and trained hard. Italy, the number one seeds, really pushed us. Greece, underdogs like ourselves, also made a big push to get on the podium."

He added, "We're happy to prove the doubters wrong, so it's a good day for the Irish."

In a fast start, the Irish crew was third after 500 meters as Italy and Greece tried to pull away from the rest of the field.