Fintan McCarthy
Personal information
NationalityIrish
Born (1996-11-23) 23 November 1996 (age 27)
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Sport
CountryIreland
SportRowing
EventLightweight double sculls
Medal record
Men's rowing
Representing  Ireland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Lwt double sculls
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Ottensheim Lwt double sculls
Gold medal – first place 2022 Račice Lwt double sculls
Gold medal – first place 2023 Belgrade Lwt double sculls
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Varese Lwt double sculls
Gold medal – first place 2022 Oberschleißheim Lwt double sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Poznań Lwt single sculls

Fintan McCarthy (born 23 November 1996) is an Irish lightweight rower. He is an Irish national champion and a world and Olympic champion. He won the men's lightweight double sculls championship title with Paul O'Donovan at the 2019 World Rowing Championships and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he set a new world's best time for that event. He also won a bronze medal in lightweight single sculls at the 2020 European Rowing Championships.

Career

McCarthy is from Skibbereen, County Cork. His first experience in rowing was while in primary school, but only started taking the sport seriously when he was 15 after seeing the London Olympics in 2012.[1][2] He studied at University College Cork and graduated with a degree in physiology.[1]

McCarthy won his first national title in rowing with his brother Jake in 2016.[2] The brothers qualified for the European Rowing Championships final in 2019.[3]

In 2019, he was partnered with Paul O'Donovan in the men's lightweight double sculls at the World Rowing Championships held at Linz-Ottensheim in Austria, where they won the gold medal and the world championship title.[4][5] In 2020, he won a bronze in the men's lightweight single sculls at the 2020 European Rowing Championships held in Poznan, Poland.

McCarthy raced with O'Donovan at the 2021 European Rowing Championships, where they won gold.[6] The following month they won gold again at the World Rowing Cup II regatta in Lucerne.[7] At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in July 2021, the pair set a world's best time of 6:05:33 while winning their semifinal of the lightweight double sculls event.[8] They went on to win the gold medal, finishing ahead of the German and Italian teams.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b McCarthy, Kieran (7 April 2020). "Fintan McCarthy feels he'll be even better when 2021 Olympic roll around". The Southern Star.
  2. ^ a b Kennedy, Marisa (2 June 2020). "Showcase Your Sport: Q&A With Rowing World Champion Fintan McCarthy". Pundit Arena.
  3. ^ Gorman, Liam (20 July 2017). "Fintan and Jake McCarthy's world efforts show power of Skibbereen". The Irish Times.
  4. ^ 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships results
  5. ^ Gorman, Liam (31 August 2019). "Gold for Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy in Austria". The Irish Times.
  6. ^ "Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy strike gold in double sculls at European Championships". RTÉ. 11 April 2021.
  7. ^ Watterson, Johnny (23 May 2021). "Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy take gold in Lucerne to cap fine weekend". The Irish Times.
  8. ^ Brosnan, Maurice (28 July 2021). "O'Donovan and McCarthy cruise into double sculls final with awesome display". The 42.
  9. ^ "McCarthy and O'Donovan make history with gold medal in Tokyo". The 42. 29 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Tokyo 2020: Gold for O'Donovan and McCarthy". RTE Sport. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

External links

Olympic champions – Men's lightweight double sculls
World champions – Lightweight men's double sculls
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