GOLD: Cork's Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy win lightweight double sculls at Olympics

Cork rowers ‘pulled like dogs' and won gold in this morning’s race at the Paris Olympic Games.

Cheers erupted in Skibbereen Town Hall this morning as Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy raced to victory to claim their second gold medal at the Olympics.

Paul O’Donovan of UCC Rowing Club and Fintan McCarthy of Skibbereen Rowing Club rowed their way to victory, clenching the win in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls A Final.

Fans gathered in Skibbereen town hall in a special watch party to witness the Cork rowers win the medal at the Paris 2024 games.

The pair made history at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where the pair won Ireland’s first ever rowing gold medal in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls A Final.

The town hall was silent as the three-time and two-time Olympian duo took another stab at placing first on the honoured podium but that silence was short-lived as soon as the boat reached the finish line to place first.

The O'Donovan and McCarthy pair aren’t the only Cork athletes taking part in today’s race as competing in the women’s lightweight double sculls A Final were two-time Olympic rowing duo, consisting of Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen of UCC Rowing Club.

DOUBLE OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS!

Paul and Fintan defend their Olympic title!!! 👊

LFG 🔥#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/MO3YqUPQET

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) August 2, 2024

Ahead of the race this morning, the CSO revealed some interesting statistics about the participation of people from Skibbereen in the Paris Olympics. 

It said 1 in 725 people from Skibbereen are competing at the games, compared with a national rate of almost 1 in 39,000.