Olympic hero McCarthy has Euro hat-trick in his sights
Alongside team-mate Konan Pazzaia, McCarthy took the first significant step in a heavyweight race, and the pair eased to second place to secure their place in today's race. McCarthy's established partner is absent, as Paul O'Donovan sits out the Europeans to concentrate on his medical studies. The pair became legends of Irish sport in the lightweight division in Tokyo in 2021, and again in Paris last year.
However, the lightweight division will no longer be a feature of the Olympics and both McCarthy and O'Donovan have intimated that they intend moving up to heavyweight in time for Los Angeles in 2028. Fintan McCarthy. Pic: Tom Beary/Sportsfile
Whether that is as a pair or as singles will become clearer in the years to come, but this was an encouraging start for McCarthy alongside Pazzaia, a Swiss native who moved to Queen's University in Belfast and who was first part of the Irish high performance system in 2020.
McCarthy is one of nine Irish Olympians in action in Plovdiv, and one of three medallists from Paris on the water on Thursday.
Another, Daire Lynch, is part of the men's pair with another Paris Olympian in Ross Corrigan. They earned safe passage to this morning's semi-final. Daire Lynch. Pic: Tom Beary/Sportsfile
They are one example of the experimentation in an Irish team overseen by Dominic Casey, the Skibbereen legend and highly regarded elite coach who is interim high performance director.
The third Irish medallist from last year's unforgettable success is Philip Doyle. A year ago, he and Lynch were partners but this time, Doyle is part of a men's four with Ronan Byrne, Adam Murphy and Andrew Sheehan.
They came fourth in their heat on Thursday afternoon and are also back in action on Friday. Fintan McCarthy's twin Jake also had a successful opening day, coming second in the men's single sculls and qualifying for tomorrow's final.
Mags Cremen and Zoe Hyde, veterans of Tokyo and Paris respectively, are in the final of Saturday's women's pair after getting through Thursday's challenge.
Fiona Murtagh, a double Olympian from 2021 and 2024, came first in her women's single sculls heat, and will compete in a semi-final on Friday.
The women's four of Alison Bergin, Aisling Hayes, Natalie Long and Claire Feerick compete in the B final of their event tomorrow.
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