Paul O'Donovan

The reigning European, World and Olympic champions won Ireland its first gold medal of the multi-sport Championships in the lightweight double sculls, and did ...

“And then Fintan delivered the killer blow out on the course,” he laughed, his cheeky smile, as always, making it hard to know if he was joking. “It’s a big question for me,” he said. Steven McGowan and Katie O’Brien finished fourth in the para mixed double sculls final. He stepped up again this year and I could feel that behind me, he was driving things along and it made a big difference.” “You can feel what the other person is doing, so it’s grand.” “But some of the training pace stuff we’ve done together has been pretty good.” Their start was typically conservative, the pair playing their usual game of shadow boxing with their rivals, hitting 500m in third place, 1.18 seconds behind the leaders. For so long, success has almost been a given for O’Donovan, who with four world titles, two Olympic medals and now three European titles has etched his name firmly among the all-time greats of his sport. Perhaps it was because the significant effort required to win gold still had him swimming in fatigue. Perhaps it was because he’s been down this road so many times before. It’s never been about their top-end speed, more their otherworldly ability to sustain it. We were still working hard.”

In defending their European title, adding another gold medal to their World and Olympic titles, they seemingly toyed with the other five boats, allowing a young ...

There was also a fourth-place finish in the Para mixed double sculls final for Steven McGovern and Katie O’Brien, 20 seconds down on the winners. I pushed on a bit and Paul is obviously phenomenal, and we’re getting better individually and then that makes the double better.” We just focus on ourselves and see what happens. “I don’t think you’re ever comfortable, really, in a race like that,” explained O’Donovan. “You’re on the edge, hanging on. He stepped up again this year and I could feel that behind me, he was driving things along and it made a big difference. You can feel what the other person is doing, so it’s grand.”

The Olympic champions continue to be the dominant force in their category.

This latest success comes a day after the women's four secured silver medals. They are the Olympic and world champions as well now being two-time European top dogs with Paul having also won the title a third time back in 2016 when brother Gary was in the boat with him. As is their trademark, the Cork duo finished like a train in the lightweight men’s double sculls final to ensure another clear-cut victory in a time of 6:34.72 over the 2000m race.

They finished first this morning in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls final at the European Rowing Championships in Munich. The Skibbereen natives came home ...

You can feel what the other person is doing, so it’s grand.” He stepped up again this year and I could feel that behind me, he was driving things along and it made a big difference. O'Donovan said: “I don’t think you’re ever comfortable, really, in a race like that.

There's no doubt about it. Advertisement. Paul O'Donovan was talking about exams - medical exams - after a gold medal win at the European Championships in ...

Fortunately, then Fintan was able to step up and deliver that then to them, the final blow, as they'd call it," he said with a laugh. The Swiss pair of Jan Schaeuble and Raphael Ireland had led early on, with Italy's duo not too far behind, but they had no answers for O'Donovan and McCarthy at the business end. "I need all the time studying I can get so that I don't fail everything and have an absolute disaster. O'Donovan and his partner-in-crime Fintan McCarthy had just won the lightweight double sculls - again - when they decided to have a bit of craic, as per usual, in their post-race interview. "There's no point worrying what the others do really. Paul O'Donovan was talking about exams - medical exams - after a gold medal win at the European Championships in Munich but the Skibbereen native needn't worry.

Nottingham Forest are hosting West Ham. This is the first time top flight football is being played at the City Ground in over 20 years. Tottenham boss Antonio ...

Leona Maguire is playing the final holes of her final round at the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Co Antrim today. Elsewhere, Steven McGowan and Katie O'Brien came fourth in the Mixed Double Sculls A Final while Aoife Casey also came fourth in the Lightweight Women's Single Sculls A final. Lydia Heaphy and Margaret Cremen just missed out on a medal in the women's version of the same event - they were just pipped by Italy at the line to come fourth. They finished first this morning in the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls final at the European Rowing Championships in Munich. The London rivals face each other in the main game of the day at Stamford Bridge. This is the first time top flight football is being played at the City Ground in over 20 years.

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with 'The Irish Times' sports team.

Earlier Nottingham Forest welcomed Premier League football back to the City Ground with a 1-0 win over West Ham. In his column this morning, Ken Early explains why Manchester United manager “ Erik ten Hag will have to choose between his system and his goalkeeper.” Ireland’s Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy are European rowing champions after defending their title in Munich yesterday, adding another gold medal to their World and Olympic titles. Check out Sean Moran’s report from Wexford Park here.

Skibbereen Rowing Club captain Sean O'Brien has hailed the brilliance of lightweight double sculls crew Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy and said there's ...

"But our ladies in the club are increasing at a pace all the time. "They’re the ideal partnership, it just clicks of them. The membership and young people coming into the club has increased immensely."