IRISH MEN’S DOUBLE sculls duo Fintan McCarthy and Philip Doyle, and singles stars Siobhán McCrohan and Jake McCarthy, have qualified for their respective A finals at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, China.
McCarthy and Doyle finished second in their semi-final overnight, having won their heat on Monday. The race was due to take place yesterday, but was postponed with crews already in the water after wind caused problems for the organisers.
The Irish duo shook off the delay to finish second in 6:33.14. Romina won in 6:31.08, with Spain third in 6:35.98. Serbia won the other semi-final in 6:36.46, with the final scheduled for tomorrow.
Doyle is stepping in for Paul O’Donovan at this championships, who is unavailable due to work commitments. McCarthy and O’Donovan won back to back Olympic lightweight double sculls at Paris 2024, but have transitioned to heavyweight.
Doyle won double sculls bronze with Daire Lynch at last summer’s Games. O’Donovan has also shared a boat with Lynch this year.
McCrohan won her lightweight women’s single sculls semi-final, clocking 8:06.23 to pip Mexico’s Kenia Lechuga Alanis (8:06.27) and neutral athlete Mariia Zhovner (8:06.35) to prevail.
The 2024 world bronze medallist previously finished third in her heat to Alanis and Canada’s Karissa Riley. The final is set for Saturday.
McCarthy finished third in his lightweight men’s single sculls semi-final in 7:33.01.
Uruguay’s Felipe Kluver Ferreira (7:28.40) and Halil Kaan Koroglu of Turkey (7:31.12) finished ahead of the Skibbereen man, who held off Uzbekistan’s Shakhzod Nurmatov to progress to Saturday’s A final rather than the B decider.
Meanwhile, Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan placed sixth in the men’s pair A final.
Timoney and Corrigan clocked 7:00.73, crossing seven seconds after fifth-placed Lithuania. The New Zealand crew triumphed in 6:37.87, with Romania and Switzerland second and third respectively.