Murtagh embracing everything from Olympics to Disneyland as big year looms

Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh hold just one oar each and anything shy of perfect synchronicity is felt far more than in a larger boat.

OLYMPIC YEAR: Team Ireland rowers Fiona Murtagh, left, and Aifric Keogh during a Team Ireland rowing training camp at Vaires Sur Marne in Paris, France. The Nautical Stadium at Vaires-sur-Marne will host the Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoe-kayak events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

It’s 23 degrees in Sabaudia this week and Fiona Murtagh’s sunny disposition is a perfect match for the weather and the scenic surrounds found on a stretch of Italian coastline found midway between Rome and Naples.

The 2020 Olympic bronze medallist is part of a Rowing Ireland group on site for a two-week training camp. The hotel is right on the beach so the strains of every tough training sessions can be washed away with a dip in the ocean.