28 July 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Irish Duo O’Donovan And McCarthy Backed Off The Boards For Olympic Gold – Rowing Pair 1/4 From 1/2 Following Semi-Final Dominance
Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy are on the verge of getting Ireland amongst the gold medals at the Olympic Games if the betting is anything to go by ahead of their lightweight double sculls final in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The Cork pair eased into the final by winning their semi-final with plenty in hand and are now the runaway favourites to put the seal on the gold medal.
Paul comes from Skibbereen and has been rowing since 2001. Paul is currently studying Medicine in UCC and rows for UCC Rowing Club.
Paul is one of Ireland’s greatest athletes. He won the silver medal, alongside his brother Gary, at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and has since won four consecutive gold medals at the World Rowing Championships; in the Lightweight Single Scull in 2016 and 2017, and in 2018 and 2019 in the Lightweight Double with Gary (2018) and Fintan McCarthy (2019). Paul and Gary also won gold at the 2017 European Championships in the Lightweight Double.
Paul won Gold alongside Fintan McCarthy at the 2021 European Rowing Championships in Varese. In the 2021 Rowing World Cup II, Paul won a gold medal with Fintan McCarthy in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls, held in Lucerne, Switzerland.
BoyleSports have made the duo a red-hot 1/4 from 1/2 to win the final, with second and third favourites Germany and Italy now lagging behind at 7/2 and 6/1 respectively.
Irish punters are also getting behind more rowing success with Sanita Puspure highly expected to book her spot in the Singles Sculls final.
She is a 2/1 shot ahead of her semi-final on Thursday, putting her right in the hunt for gold with only Russian rival Hanna Prakhatsen marginally ahead of her in the betting at 6/4.
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports said: “Ireland have finally made their mark on the medal table after the bronze in the women’s four, but punters are now banking on rowing gold. Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy have been backed so heavily that they are very hot favourites at 1/4 from 1/2, so it would be a huge surprise now if aren’t standing on top of the podium after the final.”
Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls – Gold Medal
1/4 Ireland
7/2 Germany
6/1 Italy
20/1 Belgium
28/1 Czech Republic
50/1 Uruguay
Women’s Single Sculls – Gold Medal
6/4 Hanna Prakhatsen
2/1 Sanita Puspure
4/1 Emma Twigg
8/1 Kara Kohler
8/1 Magdalena Lobnig
20/1 bar
