Finals racing got underway today at the 2025 European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Dry conditions and a strong tailwind made for fast and exciting racing across all boat classes. Ireland had six crews in action, delivering determined and competitive performances, including a bronze medal in the Men’s Double Sculls.

Ross Corrigan & Daire Lynch – Men’s Pair (M2-)
Ross Corrigan of Portora Boat Club and Daire Lynch of UCD Boat Club placed 3rd in the B Final of the Men’s Pair with a time of 6:26.50. In a strong and composed performance, the Irish crew held their pace well in a competitive field. The race was won by Dalibor Nedela and Jakub Podrazil of the Czech Republic, with second place going to Ilia Ivanov and Ivan Kladov of AIN.

Izzy Clements – Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls (LW1x)
In her senior international debut, Izzy Clements of Tara Rowing Club and the University of Edinburgh Boat Club finished 4th in the A Final of the Lightweight Women’s Single Sculls. Izzy sat in silver medal position for much of the race but was caught in the final sprint by Maia Lund of Norway and Mariia Zhovner of AIN. A brilliant debut performance on the senior international stage.

Jake McCarthy – Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LM1x)
Jake McCarthy of Skibbereen Rowing Club delivered a powerful final 500 metres to finish 4th in the A Final, with a time of 7:01.45. McCarthy recorded the fastest closing sprint of the race, just narrowly missing out on a podium finish. Germany took gold (6:51.24), with Turkey claiming silver and AIN bronze.

Mags Cremin & Zoe Hyde – Women’s Double Sculls (W2x)
Mags Cremin of UCC Boat Club and Zoe Hyde of Tralee Rowing Club placed 4th in the A Final of the Women’s Double Sculls, narrowly missing out on a podium finish. In a fast and tightly contested race, the Netherlands took gold (6:48.83), followed by Greece (6:49.11) and Romania (6:51.96), with Ireland crossing the line just behind in 6:52.13.

Fintan McCarthy & Konan Pazzaia – Men’s Double Sculls (M2x)
Rowing Ireland’s first medal of the 2025 Championships came from Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club) and Konan Pazzaia (Queen’s University Belfast Boat Club), who claimed bronze in the A Final of the Men’s Double Sculls. The Irish crew remained in medal contention throughout, exchanging positions with Italy before a late surge by Romania moved them into second. McCarthy and Pazzaia held strong to cross the line in third. a superb result that matches Ireland’s best ever finish in this event at a European Championships. It also marks Fintan’s first international medal in an openweight boat and Konan’s first senior championship medal.

Michelle Carpenter, CEO of Rowing Ireland, who travelled to Plovdiv to support the High Performance athletes, commented:

“It’s an honour to be here in Plovdiv, watching our athletes line up and race with such pride and passion. This really feels like the start of a new chapter for Rowing Ireland. We’re building a strong team and a solid programme for the years ahead, and it’s great to see that coming to life on the water. I’m absolutely delighted with all of the athletes’ performances today but to come away with a podium finish on the first day of finals is very special. Huge credit to the athletes, coaches and support staff for the work that’s gone in behind the scenes.”

Final Day of Racing Ahead
The final day of competition at the 2025 European Rowing Championships takes place tomorrow, Sunday 1st June, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. With grit, determination, and composure on display all week, Rowing Ireland’s athletes will be looking to finish the regatta on a high note, including Fiona Murtagh in the A Final of the Women’s Single Sculls.

Sunday Schedule – 1st June 2025
7:30am IST – Women’s Quadruple Sculls (B Final)
Alison Bergin, Aisling Hayes, Natalie Long & Claire Feerick
Lane 4

7:35am IST – Men’s Quadruple Sculls (B Final)
Philip Doyle, Ronan Byrne, Adam Murphy & Andrew Sheehan
Lane 5

10:13am IST – Women’s Single Sculls (A Final)
Fiona Murtagh
Lane 4

Schedule – Sunday 1st June
Live Coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
World Rowing Audio Commentary

Update Rowing Ireland Media Guide

Best of luck to all crews racing on the final day in Plovdiv.