Inside the medal factory: A chat with Rowing Ireland's high-performace director

Rowing's world championships begin on Sunday in Belgrade, a year out from the Paris Olympics. Again the sport will be expected to perform big for Ireland. That's why it's well-resourced. Brendan O'Brien broke bread and pizza with HP director Antonio Maurogiovanni for his first sit-down interview.

CHURNING OUT THE REPS: Irish rowers Aoife Casey (left) and Margaret Cremin in training at the National Rowing Centre. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

Antonio Maurogiovanni is chewing the fat over a plate of quarter-cut sandwiches and a coffee at the National Rowing Centre. The waters of Inniscara Lake stretch out calmly behind him and the mood is breezy and the chat brisk after his guided tour of one of Irish sport’s most productive medal factories.

All of this is unexpected.