Gold for Ireland in the Olympics. It's not a bad bit of news to wake up to on a Thursday morning.
It had long been anticipated that Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy would come close to winning gold in the lightweight double sculls in Tokyo, with last night's final the culmination of a long journey.
They blew away the competition, winning Ireland's only tenth ever Olympic gold medal.
Despite this being Ireland's biggest ever contingent at an Olympic games, much has been made about the tight knit unit that Team Ireland have become over in Japan.
That is understandable, with the Irish athletes all living in the same block in the Olympic village and not doing a huge amount of mixing with other nations due to covid protocols.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the team were absolutely thrilled to see O'Donovan and McCarthy do the business in their final.
They gave them an almighty welcome upon their return, as captured by Badminton Ireland High Performance Director Daniel Magee.
Wholesome content.
Journalist Gary Lemke also captured the moment they arrived back at the Olympic village.
The welcome and love for @TeamIreland rowing gold medallists Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan as they return to the Olympic village pic.twitter.com/UaXU2ivwLl
— Gary Lemke (@GaryLemke) July 29, 2021
Both men even went for a lap of honour, although it's fair to say Fintan McCarthy was probably a bit more enthused about the prospect than his partner.
And energy for a lap of honour@TeamIreland 🥇 pic.twitter.com/SdhchJoWaZ
— Gary Lemke (@GaryLemke) July 29, 2021
After keeping a low profile over the last couple of weeks, the two lads are sure to enjoy themselves over the next few days.
Fintan McCarthy has already hit the food hall to indulge himself after all the hard training they've been through in the lead up to the games.
Olympic champion Fintan McCarthy has his priorities right. There’s no weigh in *after* the final #TeamIreland 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/luv7IIfqzN
— Dodge (@seidodge) July 29, 2021
It's certainly well deserved.
SEE ALSO: The Irish Public Were Thrilled To Finally See George Hamilton Call An Irish Gold Medal
