BROTHERS GOING FOR GOLD
TO OTHERS, a frenetic finish with just over a second covering four boats would signal nervousness and doubts. The O’Donovan brothers treat it as part of the job.
They won their semi-final yesterday at the European Championships in a scrambled finish. Ireland, Belgium and Poland took the top three places and will compete today in the A Final of the lightweight double sculls.
Britain missed out by .22 of a second and are in the B Final. Their chances of a medal at a home regatta at Strathclyde Park in Scotland are gone.
The O’Donovans did not squeeze into the top spot until the final third of the race, but they were happy they would be able to defend their lead, even as the others overlapped them.
‘Once you have your nose in front, you’re in control,’ Gary O’Donovan said.
Their rivals for the medals in the final might start with second-placed Belgium, but the winners of the other semi, Norway, and the crew which placed second, Italy, look to be the biggest threats.
Norway’s crew of Are Strandli and Kristoffer Brun took bronze behind the O’Donovans at the Olympic Games in 2016, but have not competed regularly since. They are friendly with the O’Donovans, but fierce rivals on the water.
‘It’s the first time we will race against them since Rio,’ Paul said.
If they need it, have the Irish another gear?
‘We should have, but so do the other guys,’ Gary says.
The Ireland pair of Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll produced a good sprint to the finish in their B Final – but it did not get them to where they wanted to be.
The lightweight world champions of 2017 took the hard decision to throw themselves into the heavyweight division and have made progress.
This race did not develop as they had hoped and they finished fifth.
Germany and Britain moved away from the field, with the host nation winning well, leaving Germany second. Russia and the Netherlands held third and fourth.
O’Driscoll and O’Donovan produced a blistering finish – they were the fastest over the final 500 metres. It was not quick enough to break past the Russians and Dutch.
The two men looked to the future afterwards. The World Championships next month in Bulgaria offers the opportunity to show more progress and win backing to compete next season with the aim of qualifying the boat for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
First up there is the prospect of success at the European Championships for this all-Skibbereen Ireland team in the form of the O’Donovan brothers.
A good placing in a B Final is a possibility for Ireland’s women’s lightweight double of Aoife Casey and Denise Walsh.
For Paul and Gary O’Donovan the aim is to close out the deal. Last year they took silver, but as they approach the line today they will hope to stay in complete control. The aim is gold.