THERE was a lovely moment as Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy finally came to settle themselves on the floating podium at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday morning.
Always the showman, O’Donovan thrust his fist into the air a few times on the walk past the stand, drawing roars and the odd ‘ole, ole’. But it was only when they focused their gaze a bit more, eyes narrowing as the sea of green, white and gold was surveyed in a bit more detail.
Nudging his partner, McCarthy pointed out someone of significance in the crowd. Then another. O’Donovan got in on the act then, picking out familiar faces; all of a sudden there was a small town Ireland feel to sport’s biggest stage.
When they won gold in Tokyo three years ago, nobody was there to see it; the biggest moment of their lives played out against a backdrop of eerie emptiness. It could have been Skibbereen at 6am for all the atmosphere it engendered.
Friday morning could hardly have been more at odds with that experience, O’Donovan and McCarthy summoning the last bit of strength from their legs to leap into the air once those precious medals had been hung around their necks.
For all those months and years of training, dips in form and driving it on again, this was where the magic lay.
“It was amazing,” smiled McCarthy, “it was the amount of Irish supporters in the crowd, really. I’ve never seen anything like it, and looking up and seeing all the friends and family, and people who have just been there… it’s extremely special.”
“Insane stuff,” added O’Donovan, “our tents are on top of the boathouse over there, so before going out you can catch a glimpse of the grandstand.
“And I was like ‘Jesus, there’s a whole load of green people over there’. And then I was like ‘there’s some supporters for the white team as well, and a few Dutch people around’. But then when we were standing on the podium, I was like ‘oh yeah, that’s the green, white and orange of Ireland, isn’t it?’”
And they were so comfortable too, slowly grinding through the gears before putting enough distance between them and the chasing pack in the second half of the race, eventually coasting home with two seconds to spare on the Italians.
Yet there were times this year when O’Donovan and McCarthy would not have envisaged this moment arriving in such spectacular, and surprisingly straightforward fashion.
“I think I had a bit off an off-season nearly, halfway through the year, but I clawed it back,” said McCarthy, “it’s just been great to have Paul for the year being the consistent work-horse, and then I did a bit of a cram and it all worked out in the end.”
“We trained hard and worked hard during the race,” said O’Donovan, “Fintan was on fire this morning and he had the legs to get us over the line in first place.
“We’re very happy with that.”
O’Donovan has flitted in and out of character throughout the week, leaving his partner smiling to the side while performatively downplaying the gold medal favourites’ chances of defending their crown, going full yerra on the march towards their date with destiny.
But, after Friday’s race, the 30-year-old was candid about their latest achievement, as they became the first Irish athletes to win golds at successive Games since Dr Pat O’Callaghan in the men’s hammer throw at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.
“I think for sure we’re very happy to do it, but believe me there will be a lot more Irish athletes who will do it in the future and will repeatedly do it more than twice, I have no doubt about that. And in Rowing as well, and a whole load of other sports.”
“We take pride in what we do every day and in our training,” added McCarthy, “like, you don’t ever really think about that stuff so when people say it, it sounds a bit strange and a bit alien but we’re just proud that the work has paid off and the plan worked out.”
Victory also cemented O’Donovan’s place as Ireland’s greatest-ever Olympian, with back-to-back golds added to the silver secured alongside brother Gary in Rio eight years ago.
He was in mischievous mood when asked about that by RTE straight after the race – “sure I’d say it was probably a fluke” – before later telling reporters about the special recipe that brought him success, with special mention for their coach at Skibbereen rowing club.
“I think, you know, a few moments of magic, a few good rowing partners, a bit of Dominic Casey’s magic… ah he’d be there gently rubbing the boat and stuff like that, just overnight, and cracking the whip on us day to day in training.
“Small little bits that sometimes people don’t take notice of but he’s kind of doing the little things day to day and keeping on top of us, making sure we don’t go too off the walls with training and different things.”
It was fitting that, in the last ever Olympic lightweight final, two of the sport’s greatest ambassadors should come up trumps. But what happens now? Los Angeles won’t be long coming around and, with it, the opportunity to create even more moments of pure magic.
“We had our last-ever weigh-in this morning, I’d say this is the skinniest I’ll ever be… I’ll have a little bit of a break, take stock and see what’s next,” said McCarthy, before the last word went to his partner, and the man who has put himself up on a pedestal above all the rest.
“I’ll be looking to get into the open weight squad for LA for sure…”
