Irish double Olympic champ claims first international medal since major change
Double Olympic gold medallist Fintan McCarthy has won his first international medal in an openweight boat after joining forces with Konan Pazzaia to claim bronze in the European Rowing Championships.
McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan topped the podium in the lightweight double sculls in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics but that category no longer exists as an Olympic sport.
With O'Donovan continuing his medical studies, McCarthy has teamed up with Pazzaia and together they have claimed Ireland's first medal at the Europeans in Plovdiv in the men's double sculls.
Under dry conditions and a strong tailwind, they remained in medal contention throughout the race, exchanging positions with Italy and withstanding a late surge from Romania.
Crossing the line in third place, it marked McCarthy's first international medal in an openweight boat and a first senior championship medal for Pazzaia of Queen's University.
McCarthy's brother Jake finished fourth in the lightweight men's single sculls, finishing fourth with the fastest final 500 metres of the race and in a time of 7:01.45.
Meanwhile, Ross Corrigan and Daire Lynch placed third in the B final of the men's pair with a time of 6:26.50 in a tightly contested field.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, Izzy Clements impressed on her senior international debut, finishing fourth in the A final.
Clements held second for much of the race before being overtaken in the sprint finish.
In the women's double sculls, Mags Cremin and Zoe Hyde also secured a fourth-place finish in a fast-paced A final, narrowly missing out on the podium in one of the closest races of the day.
Rowing Ireland CEO Michelle Carpenter said: "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.'
Women's fours bronze medallist Fiona Murtagh competes in the women's single sculls final on Sunday.
Also in action are the women's quadruple sculls team of Alison Bergin, Aisling Hayes, Natalie Long and Claire Feerick in the B final, the men's quadruple sculls - Philip Doyle, Ronan Byrne, Adam Murphy and Andrew Sheehan – in the B final.
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