Paul and Fintan target World Rowing Championship gold and 2024 Olympic qualification

PAUL O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy will put their title on the line at the upcoming World Rowing Championships in Belgrade (September 3rd to 10th).

The Skibbereen dream team are the defending world champions in the lightweight men’s double sculls and will be keen to get back to winning ways after a rare defeat at World Cup III in July. There, Paul and Fintan – for context, it was their first regatta back together since the 2022 Worlds in September ’22 – were pipped by 0.09 of a second by the fast-finishing French double in the final.

It brought to an end Paul and Fintan’s incredible 21-race winning streak that stretched back to 2019 when they also won the world title, so they will want to make it a hat-trick of world crowns and also show their rivals they are back and mean business.

But there is more than just medals up for grabs at these World Rowing Championships, as this is the first opportunity for rowers to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Paul and Fintan, as reigning Olympic champions, will be expected to lead the medal charge in Paris, but they need to qualify the boat first. There are seven qualification spots open for the lightweight men’s doubles, so the Skibb duo know a top-seven finish in Belgrade will book their tickets on the flight to France.

If, for some reason, it doesn’t go to plan in Belgrade – and this applies to all 12 Irish boats heading to the worlds – the last chance for Paris 2024 qualification will be next May at the final Olympic qualification regatta in Lucerne. Ideally, Irish crews will want to get the job done in Belgrade and then shape their training around the Olympics next summer.

Another Skibbereen rower who will target a spot at the Games is Aoife Casey who partners Margaret Cremen (University College Cork RC) in the Irish lightweight women's double. At the 2022 Worlds this all-Cork pairing won bronze, and will be hoping to put themselves in the medal race again this time. Similar to the lightweight men’s double event, there are seven Olympic qualification spots up for grabs so qualifying in the top six for the A final in Belgrade will mean its mission accomplished. Otherwise, they would need to win the B final to make sure of a top-seven finish. Internationally in 2023, Aoife and Mags finished fifth in the A finals at both the European Rowing Championships and World Cup III.

Swelling the West Cork interest will be Jake McCarthy, twin brother of Fintan, who will race in the lightweight men's scull, but this is not an Olympic-class event. There is disappointment, however, for Olympic bronze medallist Emily Hegarty who misses out on selection after an injury-riddled season. Also, Skibbereen Rowing Club coaching guru Dominic Casey is the lightweight head coach.

The Rowing Ireland team for the World Rowing Championships is:

Para Mixed Double (PR2 Mix2x): Katie O'Brien (Galway RC), Steven McGowan (Galway RC).

Lightweight Women's Double (LW2x): Margaret Cremen (University College Cork RC), Aoife Casey (Skibbereen RC).

Lightweight Women's Scull (LW1x): Siobhán McCrohan (Tribesman RC).

Lightweight Men's Double (LM2x): Paul O'Donovan (University College Cork RC), Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen RC).

Lightweight Men's Scull (LM1x): Jake McCarthy (Skibbereen RC).

Women's Pair (W2-): Fiona Murtagh (University of Galway BC), Aifric Keogh (Dublin University Ladies BC).

Women's Double (W2x): Alison Bergin (Fermoy RC), Zoe Hyde (Killorglin RC)

Women's Four (W4-): Eimear Lambe (Old Collegians BC), Sanita Puspure (Old Collegians BC), Imogen Magner (Carlow RC), Natalie Long (Lee Valley RC).

Men's Pair (M2-): Nathan Timoney (Queen's University Belfast BC), Ross Corrigan (Portora BC)

Men's Double (M2x): Philip Doyle (Portora BC), Daire Lynch (Clonmel RC)

Men's Quad (M4x): Brian Colsh (University of Galway BC), Andrew Sheehan (University College Cork BC), Ronan Byrne (Shandon BC), Konan Pazzaia (Queen's University Belfast BC).

Men's Four (M4-): John Kearney (UniRC), Jack Dorney (Shandon BC), Adam Murphy (University College Cork RC), Fionnan McQuillan-Tolan (University of Galway BC).