There was double gold joy for Ireland at the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai as Fiona Murtagh in the women's singles and Fintan McCarthy and Mags Cremen in the mixed double sculls both assumed top place on their respective podiums.
In the single sculls, Galway woman Murtagh, part of the historic Women’s Four that won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, led from start to finish to upset pre-race favourite Lauren Henry of Great Britain.
The British athlete powered through the final 500m, but it was the Irish rower that prevailed at the line by just three hundreths of a second.
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— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 28, 2025
Watch the dramatic final moments as Fiona Murtagh holds off hot favourite Lauren Henry to claim World Rowing Championship goldhttps://t.co/1szcR03e5y pic.twitter.com/zkJ1x9DjIu
It continues Ireland’s fine tradition in the event courtesy of Sanita Puspure, a two-time World and European Champion in the discipline.
Murtagh was pleased with how she dealt with a mid-race wobble to hold off Henry at the finish.
"I'm lost for words," she said after her victory. "I knew it was going to be a really difficult race, and I knew I had to put as much in between (Lauren Henry) in the middle of the race as I could, because she's a phenomenal athlete and she's got a really good sprint.
"Then I hit the red buoys and I caught a bit of a wobble and I was like 'oh no, have I lost it?' But I dug deep and crossed the line and we were right beside each other, I really didn't know who'd won it until I looked at the screen and saw my name.
"I've never won a major regatta. This is huge and I'm in shock."
Half an hour later Fintan McCarthy claimed his second medal of the Championships in the mixed double sculls alongside Cremen.
Having taken bronze in the men's double sculls alongside Philip Doyle, McCarthy partnered up alongside Cremen as Ireland was represented in the event for the first time.
It was the Swiss crew of Celia Dupre and Raphael Ahumada that made the early running, but the Irish boat soon found their rhythm to move to the front. It was the Dutch boat that competed all the way to the line, with McCarthy and Cremen winning by 0.7 of a second in a time of 6:22.24.
"It was a great race, so much fun," McCarthy said afterwards. "We always train against each other, the girls in the double and I'm in the single, in some capacity, and they're always kicking my ass, so it was nice to have my ass kicked in the same boat today."
McCarthy's twin Jake won bronze in the men's lightweight singles on Saturday.
Dominic Casey, Rowing Ireland High Performance Lead Coach said Team Ireland can reflect on satisfying Championships that delivered two gold and two bronze medals.
"The 2025 World Rowing Championships have been very rewarding for our athletes, coaches and support staff," he said. "Our team delivered strong performances showing real promise with lots of new crew combinations."
