Paul O’Donovan struck gold today in the LM1x at the World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Returning to the international rowing scene, the Corkman also set a new World Cup record.
The Skibbereen rower, currently studying and racing for University College Cork, stormed his heat, winning it by 7 seconds. With this performance, he was going straight into the A/B Semi with the fastest time. Lukasz Sawicki from Poland and Finn Wolter from Germany were both unable to race the semi due to illness, which reduced the field to four boats.
O’Donovan started steady and slowly but surely came through each of the crews as they progressed through the 2k. In a tight race, only three crews could qualify for the A Final, and the Algerian sculler was just .75 of a second short of that qualifying position.
The UCC student finished off the event with his fastest race, coming across the finish line with a time of 6:47.15, a new World Cup record.
