‘Those last ten strokes were the longest of my life!’

AFTER what she called the longest strokes of her life, Aoife Casey is now a senior World medallist.

The 23-year-old trailblazer is the first female Skibbereen Rowing Club athlete to win a medal at a senior World Rowing Championships.

It’s another landmark moment for the club, following just 12 months after Emily Hegarty brought an Olympic bronze medal to Skibbereen.

For Aoife and Rochestown rower Margaret Cremen, their bronze medal in the Irish women’s lightweight double is their breakthrough moment. They have announced their arrival on the world stage.

‘I am in disbelief,’ Aoife told RTÉ after the recent A final in the Czech Republic.

‘Ten minutes ago we were at the startline, saying let’s have the best race we can. We were focussed on the process, making sure each part of that race went the best that it could.

‘Honest to God, those last ten strokes were the longest of my life! I really can’t believe it, it’s unbelievable.’

This Cork combination finished eighth at the Olympics in Tokyo last year, but fast forward 12 months and they pushed the French crew that won Olympic silver into fourth place. It was a sensational performance by the Irish duo. With Great Britain and the USA taking gold and silver respectively, the battle for bronze was between Ireland and France, and there was no denying Aoife and Margaret in the final 500 metres. They finished third in 7:00.62, over two seconds clear of the French.

‘Going back to last year we watched that (Olympic A) final and the six crews in a line, and it was a wish, a dream to be there in the next Olympic cycle, but if you had told me that in 12 months time I’d be here with a bronze medal I wouldn’t have believed you,’ Casey said.

Her partner in the double, Margaret Cremen, hopes they can build on this bronze medal success as they push ahead in the next Olympic cycle ahead of the Paris Games in 2024. Training with Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan is also helping their development.

‘This will give us a lot of confidence, but there are no guarantees either, we still need to work really hard,’ Cremen said.

‘This is a process. We were 22 years old at the Olympics last year. We are 23 now, getting older and wiser, and learning from the best. Paul and Fintan give us a lot of knowledge and we are so lucky to have them as training partners.

‘We are in a really good place but we will take nothing for granted.’