Tired eyes tell tale of what it took from Paul and Gary O'Donovan

For those back home, it was the teared-up eyes of two-time Olympian Neville Maxwell on RTÉ that told you just what this meant.

For those lucky enough to be at the lakeside to witness a glorious sliver of history, it was the empty eyes of Paul O’Donovan that told you just what it had taken.

All week he’d stood in the mixed zone regaling us with tales and quips but after yesterday’s lightweight sculls final he had nothing left.