Paul O'Donovan

Paul O' Donovan

Paul O'Donovan (left) with brother Gary at the 2016 European Rowing Championships
Personal information
Nationality Irish
Born (1994-04-19) 19 April 1994
Lisheen, County Cork
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 74 kg (163 lb)
Sport
Country  Ireland
Sport Rowing
Event(s) Lightweight double sculls
Coached by
  • Teddy O'Donovan
  • Dominic Casey
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals Silver Medal (Lightweight double sculls, Rio 2016)[1]
Medal record
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro LM2x
World Championships
2016 Rotterdam LM1x
European Championships
2016 Brandenburg LM2x
2017 Račice LM2x
U23 World Championship
2013 Linz LM1x

Paul O'Donovan (born 19 April 1994) is an Irish rower.[2] Together with his brother Gary, he won silver in the Men's lightweight double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3][4] He then became world champion in the men's lightweight single sculls at the 2016 World Rowing Championships.[5]

Early life

Paul O'Donovan was born on 19 April 1994 in Lisheen near Skibbereen, County Cork to Teddy and Trish O'Donovan.[6][7] Like his elder brother Gary, he attended Lisheen National School and St Fachtna's De La Salle secondary school in Skibbereen.[8][9] He is attending University College Dublin where he studies physiotherapy part-time.[10]

O'Donovan was introduced to rowing in 2001 aged around seven when his father took the two brothers to Skibbereen Rowing Club. His father, himself a rower, coached them in the sport and remained a coach to O'Donovan until 2013.[11]

Rowing career

In 2008, the O'Donovan brothers were selected for the Irish junior team at the Home International Regatta held in Cardiff, Wales, and won gold in the junior quad sculls.[12] Paul O'Donovan also competed in the single sculls; he became the junior single sculls champion of Ireland when he was 15, and was placed fourth in the 2011 World Junior Championships.[7] When he was 19, he won the bronze medal in the men's lightweight sculls at the World Rowing U23 Championships held in Linz, Austria.[6]

2016

In April 2016. Paul and Gary O'Donovan won silver in the lightweight double sculls at the first World Rowing Cup events of the year in Varese, Italy.[13] In the following month in May 2016, the pair won the 2016 European Rowing Championships gold medal in Brandenburg, Germany.[14]

The O'Donovan brothers had narrowly qualified for the Rio Olympics by beating Greece at the 2015 World Championship. In August 2016 at the Rio Olympics, the O'Donovan brothers won silver behind France in the lightweight double sculls, the first rowing medal won by Ireland at the Olympics.[15]

Two weeks later, he won the lightweight single sculls final at the World Rowing Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Rio 2016". Rio Olympics. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Gorman, Liam (27 July 2014). "Paul O’Donovan misses out on bronze at World Under-23 Rowing Championships". Irish Times.
  3. ↑ "Rio 2016: Gary and Paul O'Donovan win Ireland's first ever Olympic rowing medal". BBC Sport. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "O'Donovan brothers: These Irish rowers are giving the best interviews at the Olympics". Daily Telegraph. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "'Put an extension on Skibbereen' - World champion Paul O'Donovan planning an epic homecoming". Irish Independent. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "The O'Donovan brothers have committed their lives to rowing and it could all pay off in 2016". thejournal.ie. June 22, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Gorman, Liam (12 August 2016). "From Lisheen to Olympic medalists – Gary and Paul O’Donovan winning hearts". Irish Times.
  8. ↑ Shanahan, Catherine (12 August 2016). "Wind with West Cork’s rowing O'Donovan brothers". Irish Examiner.
  9. ↑ Keogh, Jackie; O'Mahony, Kieran (21 August 2016). "Lots of big achievers but they all ‘did themselves proud’". Southern Star.
  10. ↑ "Historic first ever Irish Olympic rowing medal for UCD student O’Donovan". University College Dublin. 12 August 2016.
  11. ↑ Brennan, Colin (27 December 2016). "Irish Olympic rowers Paul and Gary O'Donovan reveal how they axed dad as coach just three years before winning medals in Rio". Irish Mirror.
  12. ↑ "Paul & Gary O'Donovan". University College Dublin.
  13. ↑ "Silver for Paul O'Donovan at Varese World Rowing Cup". UCD Boat Club. 18 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Gorman, Liam (8 May 2016). "Gold for O’Donovan brothers at European Rowing Championships". Irish Times.
  15. ↑ Slawson, Nicola (14 August 2016). "Ireland's O'Donovan brothers become web sensations after medal win". The Guardian.
  16. ↑ "World Championships: Holly Nixon and Paul O'Donovan secure gold medals". BBC Sport. 27 August 2016.
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