Irish crews have secured two more medals and one more Paris 2024 qualification on Day 7 of the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. This brings Ireland's total to seven Paris 2024 qualifications, marking the largest number of qualifications in Rowing Ireland's history.
Lightweight Men's Double Scull World Champions Paul McCarthy and Fintan O'Donovan have defended their title for another year, clinching gold with another dominant performance. Despite the Swiss taking an early lead, McCarthy and O'Donovan showed their strength in the second half of the race, crossing the finish line ahead of Switzerland and Italy. This marks their third consecutive World Championship win.
A third consecutive World Championship win for Lightweight Men's Double Scullers Paul McCarthy and Fintan O'Donovan
Lightweight Men's Double Scull World defending Champions Paul McCarthy and Fintan O'Donovan top the podium at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia
Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan from Enniskillen secured another medal for Ireland with a bronze in the Men's pair. They led the race for the first half, taking the Swiss and Great Britain by surprise. Although favourites for the gold medal, Tom George and Ollie Wynne-Griffith from GB came back in the third quarter of the race and battled down to the line with Timoney and Corrigan for second place. In the end, Switzerland took the lead, and Ireland just missed out on the surge and had to settle for the bronze medal.
Bronze medalists - Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney with coach Nicolo Maurogiovanni and Rowing Ireland High Performance Director Antonio Maurogiovanni
Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen have qualified the Lightweight Women's Double for Paris 2024, winning the B final. Though nerves were high before they took to the water, Casey and Cremen remained cool and collected, finishing with clear water over the field. They finished the World Championships in seventh place and secured a spot for next year.
Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen have qualified the Lightweight Women's Double for Paris 2024, winning the B final and below pictured with family in Serbia
In the PR2 Mix2x, Katie O'Brien and Steven McGowan took fifth place in the world. After qualifying for the Paralympics earlier in the week, they had a bit of a rough start when they caught a crab in the second half of the race. However, they quickly regained their composure and finished strong.
"This brings Ireland's total to seven Paris 2024 qualifications, marking the largest number of qualifications in Rowing Ireland's history"
Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh just missed out on a podium finish, coming in fourth place. Though they fought hard to get into medal position in the last 500 meters, they were narrowly beaten by crews from the Netherlands, Australia, and Romania.
Eimear Lambe, Sanita Puspure, Imogen Lambe, and Natalie Long finished in third place in the B final of the women's four. Though they were hot on the heels of the crew from Denmark, New Zealand claimed the qualification position in the end.
Finally, John Kearney, Jack Dorney, Adam Browne, and Fionnán McQuillan-Tolan finished in third place in the C final of the men's four. Despite starting from the back of the pack, they showed incredible perseverance in the last 500 meters and finished nearly neck and neck with the Chinese four. Nevertheless, China claimed second position across the line.
Overall, it was an impressive showing for the Irish crews, who proved their strength and skill on the international stage.
Day 7 Results
Lightweight Men's Double A Final -> GOLD
Men['s Pair A Final -> BRONZE
Lightweight Women's Double B Final ->1st and OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION
Women's Pair A Final -> 4th
PR2 Mixed Double A Final -> 5th
Women's Four B Final -> 3rd
Men's Quad C Final -> 1st
Men's Four C Final -> 3rd
Sunday Schedule (IST)
12:39pm - Men's Double A Final
12:54pm - Women's Double A Final
