Paul O’Donovan: ‘Gary would be very disappointed not to be in the boat. He gave it his best shot’

The country fell in love with the Skibbereen brothers when they climbed on the podium in Rio in 2016. The expectation was that they would dovetail again in Japan but it is Fintan McCarthy who will share the boat with Paul later this month

Fintan McCarthy, left, will partner Paul O’Donovan in the men’s lightweight double sculls in Tokyo. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

General rule of thumb has it that a first Olympic experience is about putting down a deposit. It’s money in the bank for any repeat appearance when an athlete can draw down on lessons learned, avoid the same mistakes and make greater profit.

Some go further and hit the jackpot first time around.