Sanita Puspure blew the field away in her single sculls final at the World Rowing Championships.
It was Ireland's second gold medal of the competition in Bulgaria, adding to that won by Gary and Paul O'Donovan on Saturday.
Puspure dominated the race from start to finish.
"I can't believe it in a way," she told RTÉ after the race.
"I've been thinking about myself in the middle of the podium for the past week. When I did my heat I thought I had a really good chance to do it.
"Knowing that makes you a bit more nervous because I'm used to being the underdog."
The 36-year-old, who was born in Latvia, moved to Ireland in 2006. She began competing for Ireland five years later.
The Cork-based rower has suffered numerous disappointments in her career, including finishing fourth at last year's World Championships and also at 2014's.
"I'm so used to being disappointed, not so much being happy after a race," she said.
"This was very new to me.
"I found myself really emotional yesterday seeing the boys winning the gold. I wanted the anthem to be played for me as well. I can't believe it actually happened."
You can watch the final minutes of the race below, not that it was ever in doubt.
It's gold for Ireland and Sanita Puspure at the World Rowing Championships. This was a dominant performance in the women's single sculls final. #RTESport pic.twitter.com/HlOS6kjEpQ
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 16, 2018
