Rowers Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch delivered a commanding performance to power into the Olympic final of the men’s double sculls. Competing at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, the duo made a decisive move with 600 meters to go, taking the lead and finishing with a time of 6:13.14. Doyle and Lynch maintained complete control throughout the race, showcasing their excellent teamwork and strategy. Their strong finish not only demonstrated their physical prowess but also their ability to perform under pressure. The final is set to take place on Thursday, 1st August at 10:30 am IST, where they will face some of the best crews in the world.
Afterwards Daire gave his thoughts; “We knew we were in a good position coming in but you don’t really know where other countries are at, and like we didn’t win a single race until Worlds last year so we’re showing good signs I suppose that we’ve timed it fairly well. Obviously, the last block before we came here was probably our best one yet so hopefully we can just bring that in to the final now".
Philip added: “It went pretty much the exact way we thought it would go, we did what we wanted to do, we executed well. We knew there would be a couple that would go off like the clappers at the start, and sure we knew they’d go off like that and if they’re going to go off and do silly things they’re going to pay for it later, so you just have to be confident that we are going to make them pay. We just have to watch because obviously the six lads in the final might not pay too hard, so we need to not let them get too much and then work our way through again."
Women's Double Sculls
Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde showed great determination in their semi-final, finishing fifth with a time of 6:55.08. Although they did not advance to the A Final, their performance was commendable against a highly competitive field. They will compete in the B Final on Friday, 1st August at 9:30 am IST, aiming to finish their Olympic journey on a high note.
Afterwards Alison said: “We’ve been preparing for a long time for this and we were just taking every race as it comes so yeah we’re disappointed but we’ll just look forward to the next race now. We’ll re-assess later, sit down and look at the race and make a new strategy for the next day.”
Women's Four
The team of Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe, and Imogen Magner displayed impressive teamwork and strength in the repechage, finishing fourth with a time of 6:38.20. Despite missing out on the A Final, their effort has earned them a place in the B Final, which will take place on Thursday at 9:54 am IST.
