Paul O'Donovan turns spotlight on the challengers as Olympic champions start in style
LAYING DOWN THE GAUNTLET: Ireland's Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy compete in the lightweight men's double sculls rowing heat. Pic: AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi.
Paul O’Donovan’s face is a blank slate as he holds court.
Paul O’Donovan’s face is also gurning madly, like that permanently cheeky messer in secondary school who was always determined to ruin the end-of-year class photo.
Deadpan Paul is the living, breathing thing. Cheeky Paul is the passport-sized picture adorning the lanyard that hangs around his neck in the hour after himself and Fintan McCarthy had left another flotilla of crews in their wake in their Olympic opener.
His delivery is straight but the words knit together into an act of comedy that is absolutely delivered with serious intent as Skibbereen’s defending gold medallists go about their task here with the unfamiliar ring of doubt aired around their chances.
The Thomases have found their voice on the back of a handful of unfamiliar losses. The French pair of Hugo Beurey and Ferdinand Ludwig had inches on them in Lucerne at a World Cup last year. The Swiss and Italian crews on the water here in Paris finished ahead of them at Lucerne back in May.
O’Donovan and McCarthy, a combination loaded down with gold medals across Olympic, World and European Championships, find themselves seeded third, below the Italians and Swiss. O’Donovan used this as fertile ground for some pointed humour.
“If you look at the seeding list we are way down on it this time. I can’t even count how many names are above us. Maybe that is down to the lack of my counting abilities and I forgot my abacus but the pressure is on everyone else here.
“We are just here to enjoy ourselves, do the best we can and take a few of the big scalps all going well. So we have been really enjoying it out there and hopefully there will be more to come from us and the big names will be worried because there is a target on their back.”
O’Donovan went viral with his brother Gary after winning silver in this lightweight double sculls in Rio eight years ago. Their ‘pull like a dog’ catchphrase and ‘Yerra’ schtick created a firestorm of interest and made instant celebrities of them across the world, but that side has been rationed since.
There have been times when O’Donovan has traversed entire interviews with sweet nothings and holding a straight bat, but that quirky sense of humour was turned up to the full again on Sunday and there’s no doubt but that the message was targeted.
McCarthy just stood there grinning through most of it, adding to the act at one point by declaring that the hunted and become the hunters. The target, he said, was on everyone else’s backs now. The Irish were now the plucky chasers.
“And what’s happened is, we’ve kind of shifted it without them realising, so it’s after taking them by surprise now,” said O’Donovan. “And they’re kind of getting worried, is the feeling around the boat park. Being the favourites, they’re not used to it.” As psychology goes it’s a 101 move from a crew that has had to row against the notion that they were sure things for so long and through so many major regattas. Is it siege mentality, or reverse psychology, or just harmless fun? Maybe all three.
What’s not debatable is the fact that the Irish pair spent a major chunk of the last three-year cycle doing their own thing. They went a year without sitting in the same boat. O’Donovan did some running with Leevale and continued his medical studies.
The other point to all this is that they have been here before. They know the path ahead and are patient enough to take it as it comes. O’Donovan’s relaxed demeanour here was reflective of a wider team that is making its own fun.
Based well east of Paris and well away from the official Village, the rowers stayed put at their remote hotel near the venue for the opening ceremony, but they still donned their specially-designed costumes and had a little parade of their own around the garden.
Whatever the vibe in accommodation they are sharing with the Swiss and Kiwi collectives, it hasn’t hurt the wider team on an opening weekend where five of the seven crews over the Saturday and Sunday advanced directly from their heats.
Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch blitzed their double sculls heat on Saturday, Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh produce a huge finish to take second in the women’s pair and there were thirds and real progress for three other crews.
Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen will have to face a repechage in the women’s lightweight double while the women’s four of Eimear Lambe, Emily Hegarty, Imogen Magner and Natalie Long will need to do the same after a disappointing opener.
“All the crews are pretty competitive, which is good to see,” said O’Donovan. “Even if crews are a little off the mark yet, there's plenty of time yet, and they can turn that around in a short few days.
“It's a little bit of a balancing act in trying to be fresh for the heats and trying not to lose fitness by the time the final comes around. A lot of crews have done well from Ireland and I think there will be more to come from other crews, all going well.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
