Paul and Fintan turn focus to Worlds after rare defeat

OLYMPIC champions Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy lost their first race together in four years at Rowing World Cup III in Lucerne.

The Skibbereen duo’s incredible 21-race winning streak came to an end in the A final of the men’s lightweight double sculls when they were just caught on the line by the fast-finishing French crew who won by 0.09 of a second.

Context is important here, however, as this was Paul and Fintan’s first international regatta together since the 2022 World Rowing Championships, and they are just back in the boat after Paul graduated from UCC in late May, so they are playing catch-up.

The reigning Olympic and World champions won their heat and semi-final in Lucerne, and looked poised for gold in Sunday’s A final, powering through the field in the middle section to move from fifth after 500 metres to first after 1500 metres. The high-flying Swiss double, who had won the first two World Cup events, was in second with 500 metres to go, and the French duo of Hugo Beurey and Ferdinand Ludwig in third.

The West Cork-powered Irish boat was in pole position, but the French double first passed out the Swiss and then chased down Paul and Fintan, just catching them on the line to take gold in 6:17.88, ahead of the Irish double (6:17.97) with Switzerland a further four seconds behind.

If the Skibbereen rowers needed motivation for September’s World Rowing Championships, which will double up as the first chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics next summer, this was it. In the grand scheme, it matters little, but losing their unbeaten run might offer some encouragement to their rivals. Expect a reaction in Belgrade in early September, as Paul and Fintan defend their world crown.

Meanwhile, Skibb rower Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen finished in fifth place in the A final of the lightweight women’s double at World Cup III. It was a race in which the all-Cork crew were in fifth place for almost the entirety, though they finished strong and were just 2.5 seconds outside the medals. Great Britain, Romania and Greece took the top three spots. For Aoife and Mags, all attention now will be on the World Rowing Championships and the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics.