Paul O’Donovan has done it again, winning gold in the lightweight men’s single sculls at the World Championships final today. It was a close race at the start, with the Greek sculler leading at the halfway point, but O’Donovan responded strongly and took the lead by the 1500m mark. From there, nothing could stop the two-time Olympic champion as he showcased his strength, crossing the line ahead of Italy and Greece to reclaim his title once again.
Siobhan McCrohan delivered another podium performance at the 2024 World Rowing Championships, claiming bronze. In a highly competitive field featuring three Paris Olympians, two of whom had medaled, it was never going to be easy for the reigning champion to defend her title. Siobhan started strong and held third position from the beginning. She made a decisive move at the halfway point, settling into second place, but in the third quarter, the Greek sculler surged ahead, edging McCrohan out at the line.
The JM4x crew of Michael McGrath, Jack Rafferty, Rian Claffey, and Sean Morris secured their spot in tomorrow’s A Final after an impressive performance in today’s semi-final, finishing third.
The JW2x team of Moya Knowles and Anna Brennan were unlucky in their A/B semi-final, narrowly missing out on a spot in the A Final. Throughout the race, there was never more than a two second gap separating the top four doubles. Ireland seemed to be gaining on the Italians as they approached the finish line but ultimately ran out of water, missing out on an A Final spot by less than a second.
Results:
LM1x – Paul O’Donovan > GOLD
LW1x – Siobhan McCrohan > BRONZE
JM4x A/B Semi (Michael McGrath, Jack Rafferty, Rian Claffey, Sean Morris) > A Final
JW2x A/B Semi (Anna Brennan, Moya Knowles) > B Final
Schedule
15:37 – JW2x B Final (Anna Brennan, Moya Knowles)
16:41 – JM4+ Final (Dominic Casey, Mattais Cogan, Michael Daniel Lucey, Evan O’Byrne, Luke Fitzgerald)
18:13 – JM4x A Final (Michael McGrath, Jack Rafferty, Rian Claffey, Sean Morris)
