Paul and Gary O'Donovan make a splash at 2017 Indoor Rowing Championships

The stand and temporary seating were packed and the star attractions didn’t disappoint as Skibbereen’s O’Donovan brothers lit up the 2017 Indoor Rowing Championships at the University of Limerick on Saturday.

Paul and Gary finished first and second, respectively, in the lightweight men’s open class, with Paul setting a new Irish record of 6 mins 7.4 seconds for 2,000m, 0.1 of a second faster than he achieved in 2016. Gary followed with a time of 6 minutes 14.2 seconds, 0.4 of a second better than his time last year.

To most of us, that may not sound like a lot, but it’s obvious that, five months on from their historic silver medal win at the Rio Olympics, the O’Donovans are maintaining a superb level of consistency. It’s an exciting thought heading into the 2017 season.