OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST Gary O’Donovan says he hopes rowers in Ireland will draw ‘huge belief’ from the country’s successful showing at the World Rowing Championships in Florida.
O’Donovan was forced to withdraw from the competition due to illness, but watched on with pride as his brother Paul, and the pairing of Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan claimed gold medals in their respective events.
Elsewhere, Sanita Puspure narrowly missed out on a medal as she finished fourth in the final of the women’s single sculls, while Denise Walsh took sixth place in the women’s lightweight single sculls final.
It has been a prosperous campaign for team Ireland, and O’Donovan hopes that their achievements will inspire a whole new wave of rowing talent at home.
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Speaking to Evanne Ní Chuilinn from RTÉ Sport, he said:
“It’s been pretty good and what’s been optimistic was (that) Rowing Ireland employed two new full-time coaches this year in Seán Casey and Dominic Casey.
For the Irish athletes at home, I think it’s important that they can believe they can be successful on an international level.
“Not just for the athletes but Irish coaches at home can say, ‘well if Dominic Casey and Seán Casey are able to coach successful athletes at international level, then why can’t we?’
Everyone involved in rowing in Ireland can take huge belief from this weekend, that if they put in a bit of work and train hard all year, and follow the training programme — the coaches are good enough, and we proved that this week.
O’Donovan also remarked on the progress that the rowers have made at major competitions in recent years, and said that Ireland has become a top contender in rowing circles.
“Four or even five years ago from today, you would never have predicted what success we’ve had in the last 12 months and more.
“It’s not just the people that are here. The people that are home in Cork, we race domestically and race in the national championships, and people can compare themselves to the best in the world.
“The team here all week have been proving that Irish athletes can be successful at a World Championships.”
After sitting out the Championships due to illness, O’Donovan is looking forward to getting back on the water at the Irish Open this week, and a competition in Boston shortly after.
“Myself and Paul are racing in Boston in two weeks’ time. Mark and Shane will be racing the double there so we’ll be in competition with each other, and that’ll be a bit of fun.”
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'Five years ago, you would never have predicted what success we've had'
Updated at 08.57
OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALIST Gary O’Donovan says he hopes rowers in Ireland will draw ‘huge belief’ from the country’s successful showing at the World Rowing Championships in Florida.
O’Donovan was forced to withdraw from the competition due to illness, but watched on with pride as his brother Paul, and the pairing of Shane O’Driscoll and Mark O’Donovan claimed gold medals in their respective events.
O’Driscoll and O’Donovan were crowned champions in the lightweight men’s pair, while Paul O’Donovan defended his title in the lightweight single sculls.
Elsewhere, Sanita Puspure narrowly missed out on a medal as she finished fourth in the final of the women’s single sculls, while Denise Walsh took sixth place in the women’s lightweight single sculls final.
It has been a prosperous campaign for team Ireland, and O’Donovan hopes that their achievements will inspire a whole new wave of rowing talent at home.
Speaking to Evanne Ní Chuilinn from RTÉ Sport, he said:
“It’s been pretty good and what’s been optimistic was (that) Rowing Ireland employed two new full-time coaches this year in Seán Casey and Dominic Casey.
“Not just for the athletes but Irish coaches at home can say, ‘well if Dominic Casey and Seán Casey are able to coach successful athletes at international level, then why can’t we?’
O’Donovan also remarked on the progress that the rowers have made at major competitions in recent years, and said that Ireland has become a top contender in rowing circles.
“Four or even five years ago from today, you would never have predicted what success we’ve had in the last 12 months and more.
“It’s not just the people that are here. The people that are home in Cork, we race domestically and race in the national championships, and people can compare themselves to the best in the world.
“The team here all week have been proving that Irish athletes can be successful at a World Championships.”
After sitting out the Championships due to illness, O’Donovan is looking forward to getting back on the water at the Irish Open this week, and a competition in Boston shortly after.
“Myself and Paul are racing in Boston in two weeks’ time. Mark and Shane will be racing the double there so we’ll be in competition with each other, and that’ll be a bit of fun.”
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Gary O'Donovan Paul O'Donovan Prospering Sanita Puspure Shane O'Driscoll World Rowing Championships