Ireland’s Fintan McCarthy and Philip Doyle claimed bronze in the final of the men’s double sculls at the World Rowing Championships in a steamy Shanghai on Friday.
The Irish boat sat in second place behind eventual winners Poland for most of the contest after pushing the pace from the early stages. A powerful late surge saw Serbia move up into silver, with McCarthy and Doyle coming home third in a time of 6:15.13
Fiona Murtagh delivered a commanding performance to win her semi-final and qualify for Sunday’s A final in the women’s singles.
Leading from the start, the 30-year-old from Galway extended her advantage to three seconds by the 1,500m mark and remained the fastest boat on the water in the closing stages, crossing the line first in a time of 7:29.61.
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The women’s double of Mags Cremen and Zoe Hyde claimed victory in the B final after a dramatic sprint finish. The pair held second for much of the race amid a close battle with Uzbekistan and the USA. In the final 250 metres, they unleashed a powerful push to move into first place and secure the win with a time of 7:00.20.
Konan Pazzaia finished second in the C final of the men’s singles. After a tightly packed start that saw him in fifth place at 500m, he steadily moved through the field, climbing to third at 1,000m and into second by 1,500m. He maintained that position to the line, finishing in 7:04.08.
The women’s four of Natalie Long, Emma Waters, Aisling Hayes and Imogen Magner produced a strong performance to finish third in the B final. Sitting in fourth place at the halfway point, they surged into third by 1,500m and continued to close the gap on second-placed Canada with a spirited sprint to the line. They finished with a time of 6:48.01.
Ireland will have two lightweight boats in A finals on Saturday, with Jake McCarthy and Siobhán McCrohan looking to wrap up their championships with a medal.
