I’d see other guys’ times and say ‘Jeez I’m not that fast’.. then I’d remember I’d beaten them to World Champs gold

OLYMPIC GAMES HOPEFUL MCCARTHY ADDING BELIEF TO HIS TALENT AS HE CHASES INCREDIBLE TOKYO DREAM

to medical studies, the Mccarthy boys took aim at the European Championships and came fifth in their first senior final.

“Way beyond what we or anyone expected,” Fintan admitted.

Irish trials for the World Championships followed and Fintan and Paul were selected, eventually triumphing in Austria after a slow start in the final.

“It still feels surreal some mornings,” confessed 23-year-old Fintan.

“It’s one race so it’s still hard to put into perspective. It feels like a good dream, in a way, and that I actually haven’t done it.

“That’s good because I’m not resting on my laurels. I’m still trying to be better. Some days I think, ‘How did I pull that off?’. I’d find myself looking at scores and times from guys from other countries thinking, ‘Jeez, they’re really fast, I’m not that fast’. Then I remember that I’ve beaten them in the Worlds. It’s kind of crazy. It reminds me that it can be done but I have to do more if I want to do that again. I know if I work hard I can do it.”

Selection for Tokyo is on hold but it is competition rather than personal rivalry, Mccarthy stresses, that fuels them all.

“The lads winning the Rio silver really helped us because we’re in the same club and were doing the same things,” he said. “It’s funny, people think it’s really intense. It actually

CRICKET ENGLAND’S INTERNATIONAL RETURN isn’t. We’re all doing the same thing. We do a lot of swapping around in boats.

“We’re excited to get in different boats with each other, you’re trying to make every boat you’re in the best so it’s going to be as fast as possible.”