Galway’s Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh are headed to the Olympic rowing finals after finishing second on Day 2 of the Tokyo Olympics.
The Women’s Four in Team Ireland, consisting of Murtagh and Keogh, along with teammates Eimear Lambe and Emily Hegarty, finished with a time of just 6.28.99, securing their place in the A Final
At the halfway point they were less than a second behind the front runners Australia, and with a burst of energy in the end the Irish women had closed that gap to just 0.23 seconds.
Speaking to Team Ireland, Tara Hanlon, reserve for the Women’s Four, said: “It’s unbelievable to see the girls out there, seeing them in training each day, then going out on the water and showing what they’re made of.”
“Coming up against Australia, it just shows their calibre, 0.2 seconds, there was nothing in it at the finish line.”
The Women’s Four A Final of the Tokyo Olympics will take place next Wednesday, July 28 at 1:50pm.
In other Olympics news, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy have also progressed to the A/B Semi-Final after dominating the Lightweight Men’s Double Scull, as did the Men’s Double of Philip Doyle and Ronan Byrne after placing third in their repechage.
The Women’s Double of Monika Dukarska and Aileen Crowley will compete in the repechage on Sunday morning after finishing fourth in their heat, as will Aoife Casey and Margaret Cremen in the Women’s Double Scull.
