Tokyo 2020: Team Ireland profiles - Fintan McCarthy & Paul O’Donovan (Rowing)

The lightweight pair have proved unbeatable this season and should contend for a medal

Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan. Photograph: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan. Photograph: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Fintan McCarthy

Age: 24

Event: Lightweight Men's Double Scull (LM2X)

Titles: World Champion 2019, European Champion 2021

Club: Skibbereen RC

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With Paul O’Donovan, he has been unbeatable this season winning the recent European Championships. Made it to the 2019 European Championship final with his brother Jake. But his class became more evident and he beat Paul’s brother Gary, who won Olympic silver in Rio, to the Olympic seat on the boat and has proven his worth at every outing.

Paul O’Donovan

Age: 27

Event: Lightweight Men's Double Scull (LM2X)

Titles: Four World titles (Lwt single 2016, 2017; Lwt double 2018, 2019)

Club: UCC Rowing Club

Studying medicine in UCC, he is widely regarded as one of the best rowers in the world in the lightweight class. Apart from four consecutive World Championships and a silver medal in Rio, he has two gold and two silver European Championship medals. With McCarthy, the pair have dominated the field this year with the boat set up to be competitive in Tokyo.

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times