How do you define greatness? A mind-bending feat that surpasses expectation and rationality? A moment of authentic surprise that inverts the weight of pressing odds? Or perhaps an incision in the linear unfurling of your heart?
In sport, we are quick to anoint greatness upon each other. A performance that impresses us is often bestowed the virtue of greatness before it can even truly be understood. It is easy to attach brilliance onto bravery and boldness but sometimes the two should not be conflated. True greatness should combine mastery, magnanimity and more than a hint of magic.
The Olympic Games is our ultimate magic show. A procession of truly elite talent, operating at the pinnacle of their sport and thrust forward into a limelight fostered by four years of relative translucency. These two weeks are stitched into the very fabric of competition, dating back to the lore of Ancient Greece, and have transcended the politics of modern society to become the ultimate marker in sporting excellence. To win Olympic Gold gives you immortality of a rare and timeless specification – your story will be perpetuated forevermore, carried forward by the whispers of generations to come, who too aim to climb those sacred steps and join this club of champions. Emerging over the horizon, this time in the blue and red hue of palatial Paris, we are ready for the very fastest in rowing to be crowned.
Step forward, my friends – The Olympic Games have come.
The Stats
Country
Ireland
Crew Names
Fintan Mc Carthy (B)
Paul O’Donovan (S)
Average Age
29 years
Olympic Record
First in the LM2x at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games (Mc Carthy, O’Donovan)
Second in the LM2x at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games (O’Donovan)
2024 Competitive Record
World Rowing Cup 1: N/A
World Rowing Cup 2: 3rd (LM2x)
World Rowing Cup 3: N/A
European Championships: N/A
The Profile
You can’t really talk about the lightweight men’s double in the last few years and not mention Ireland, and some people may be surprised that I’ve only got them in bronze. The Irish, whether that’s the O’Donovan brothers or Paul O’Donovan and McCarthy, have dominated this event for years, winning the world championships four years in a row as well as taking the Olympic title in Tokyo. They are something of a maverick combination, and when they are on song, no one can get close, but they have been plagued by injuries (O’Donovan missed the 2023 Europeans and McCarthy missed the 2024 edition). They’ve made one appearance so far this season, racing at the Lucerne World Rowing Cup, but their bronze medal was their worst result as a crew and O’Donovan’s worst result in the lightweight men’s double since 2018. Now this might just have been an anomaly and they will be back to their dominant form in Paris, but they have shown vulnerability and their main opposition (Switzerland and Italy) have had much more racing and consistent results this season. I think these three crews will be well ahead of the rest of the field and any one of them could win gold, but I’m going to be bold and give it to the young Swiss chased home hard by Italy and Ireland.
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