Rivals and teammates united in praise for O'Donovan and McCarthy
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No matter the line of work, the praise that typically matters most is the kind that comes from your peers. Not long after Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan powered their way into the pantheon of Irish Olympic legends, their fellow rowers at Vaires-sur-Marne were in agreement about their greatness.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Jan Schaeuble, who finished fourth with the Swiss boat. “They’re really hard to beat and I think they did a good job again. They’re the best crew. They showed that again today.” His teammate Raphael Ahumada said the Irish are “crazy guys” who “never give up and go until the end.”
They had beaten O’Donovan and McCarthy at the World Cup in Lucerne in May but knew not to get carried away about that result. “We knew they didn’t row together in the boat for quite some time as Fintan had to take a break so they weren’t in the best shape,” said Schaeuble. Ahumada said they “always like to race them because they’re tough guys.”
Ross Corrigan, a finalist in the men’s pair, said McCarthy and O’Donovan are “the pinnacle of Irish rowing”, adding: “We’d not hesitate in saying they’ve been huge inspirations to us when we were younger and huge encouragement now to train alongside them.”
Stefano Oppo, who won silver with Italy, said O’Donovan is a “legend for lightweight rowing and for rowing. We take our cap off to him.” His teammate Gabriel Soares said O’Donovan and McCarthy “did something just a few people did” by successfully defending their title. “They are of course really good rowers and it’s always good to compete against people like that,” he said. “We are happy with the silver and we are happy for them to achieve the second gold.”
Greece’s Antonios Papakonstantinou, who won bronze, said O’Donovan might be the best lightweight rower of all time and was “top three for certain”.
“What can I say? They are amazing,” he added. “They work so well together. They were the guys to beat but we couldn’t beat them – of course.”
Papakonstantinou was among those who didn’t read much into the defeat in May. “I know them, I’ve raced them, I was sure they would be on their A-game at the Olympics, and that’s what they did.”
Eleanor Casey, the wife of O’Donovan and McCarthy’s coach, Dominic Casey, highlighted the effect they have on other rowers. “They inspire all the athletes in the camp, they’ve always been like that,” she said. “They’re cool, they’re calm, and it’s like, ‘If you do what I do (you’ll succeed).’”
Philip Doyle, who teamed up with Daire Lynch to win double sculls bronze on Thursday, said “everyone kills themselves all the time” at the national rowing centre, with O’Donovan and McCarthy having a huge influence on others. “The lads have always had a great work ethic and it’s great to see them get what they deserve, over and over again. They’re so consistent.”
He and Lynch have often gone up against them in unofficial races as part of their training and he believes it’s pushed both to a new level. “We try say it’s not competitive and stay friends but there’s no love lost when we go down the track the mornings we race each other,” he said. “There’s fire that morning, whether you’re friends or not you want to take the scalp off the other lads and that’s the way to push forward. The lads lead the way, to a certain extent.”
Doyle lived with McCarthy when he first joined O’Donovan in the lightweight boat and said he has “matured so much as an athlete” since. “His mentality is so much more robust. They step up when it matters most. Even though this wasn’t the season they envisioned, they stepped up and defended their Olympic title.”
When asked about O’Donovan, Lynch paid tribute to the three-time Olympic medallist’s work ethic. “You should see him all winter, the amount of training he does. He’d sit on that rowing machine for like five hours and the only reason he wouldn’t be able to go on the machine the next day was because his hands were getting bruised from rowing. They’re a huge inspiration.”