'They are something out of space for us' - Rivals pay tribute to Irish gold medalists 

Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s rivals were generous in their praise of the new Olympic champions

Ireland’s Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan are congratulated by the Italian team after the race

Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s rivals paid tribute to the Olympic champions in Tokyo today after another dominant performance from the Skibbereen duo to take gold in lightweight men’s double sculls.

“They are incredible,” said Jiri Simanek, who led Czech Republic to a fourth-place finish, their boat crossing the line 10 seconds behind the Irish and an agonising tenth of a second away from the medals.