Alongside Fintan McCarthy, O'Donovan defended their Olympic title in the lightweight double scull, adding to his previous silver medal from Rio with brother Gary .
The Co Cork legend has now outshone Kanturk's Pat O'Callaghan, who was a two-time hammer champion back in the days of 1928 and 1934. McCarthy, hailing from Skibbereen, joins him as a two-time Olympic champion.
The Irish support at Vaires-sur-Marne was overwhelming, something both athletes deeply appreciated. It wasn't until the medal ceremony that O'Donovan fully realized the extent of the support.
"Yeah, insane stuff," O'Donovan remarked. "Our tents are on top of the boathouse, so before going out you can catch a glimpse of the grandstand. And I was like, 'Jesus, there's a whole load of green people over there'. And then I was like, there's some supporters for the white team as well...and a few Dutch people around."
"But then when we were standing on the podium, I was like, 'oh yeah, that's the green white and orange of Ireland, isn't it?"
"There were so many of them over there that there was nobody else, I'd say. So, yeah, really appreciate all the support, people that travelled over, friends, family, all that. Fantastic."
The Irish boat's victory was a foregone conclusion once they took the lead just after the 1000m halfway mark. It was clear to everyone on the water and in the stands that the rest were vying for silver, despite O'Donovan's insistence throughout the week that they were the underdogs.
They clinched the win by just under a second from their Italian competitors, with the Greeks securing bronze. Upon completion, McCarthy, aged 27, raised his arms in triumph, followed by O'Donovan reaching back to shake his partner's hand.
Job well done. McCarthy later confessed that things couldn't have gone any better.
McCarthy, grinning, refuted shedding a tear as Amhran na bhFiann concluded. "No, it was amazing," he expressed.
"It was the number of Irish supporters in the crowd, really, I've never witnessed anything like it, and looking up into the crowd and seeing all the friends and family, and people who have just been there, it's extremely special."
"We take pride in what we do every day and in our training. Like, you don't ever really think about that stuff so when people say it, it sounds a bit strange and a bit alien but we're just proud that the work has paid off and the plan worked out."
O'Donovan expressed: "I think they're all special, but it was really against all the odds we pulled this one off. Not many believed in us beforehand, but we believed in ourselves."
"We trained hard and worked hard during the race. Fintan was on fire this morning and he had the legs to get us over the line in first place. We're very happy with that."
While O'Donovan shared his thoughts, McCarthy struggled to keep a straight face. O'Donovan's remarks often serve to deflect attention from their consistent high-level performances and to shift focus away from his own exceptional talent.
"How quick the media change their mind," the 30-year-old remarked with a hint of sarcasm. "They weren't saying that before the heats and the semi-finals. They let on then with their propaganda. We believed in ourselves, though."
"The seeding in World Rowing, I'd have given us the same seed ourselves after the results that we've had this year."
"We were a bit down the list but you know that's how it goes. We knew we had a good training block the last few weeks. Going well, feeling good throughout the regatta."
"I don't think we had a whole load of pressure on us to be honest. I don't think we felt it either in Tokyo or other years. We were just kind of happy here, doing our job, training away. We like training day to day."
Furthermore, O'Donovan downplayed becoming Ireland's greatest Olympian as "a fluke" and suggested that others will soon equal their consecutive gold medal wins.
"A few moments of magic, a few good rowing partners, a bit of (coach) Dominic Casey's magic and until you can repeat like that, I think it's a fluke until proven otherwise," he said.
"For sure we're very happy to do it, but believe me there'll be a lot more Irish athletes who'll do it in the future and will repeatedly do it more than twice, I've no doubt about that - in rowing as well and a whole load of other sports."
"Already in this Olympics I can't even count how many medals and I'm not sure if we're halfway through the competition, so sport right across the board is doing fantastic."
Yes, the Italians beat them at a World Cup regatta earlier in the year but the Irish pair were in the middle of a hard training block. O'Donovan had put a hold on his medical career.
Everything was geared towards winning this Olympic final. Everyone knew they were the team to beat.
"I think I had a bit off an off-season nearly, halfway through the year, but I clawed it back," reflected McCarthy.
"It's just been great to have Paul for the year being the consistent workhorse, and then I did a bit of a cram and it all worked out in the end. I think it was very difficult to do it again."
"Actually, I take that back - it's been great. It's just been so much fun, and from the very first stroke I've just loved rowing. To be able to do it for the last however many years I've been at it, it's an honor and a privilege and not many people get to follow their dreams like that."
"It's what I've come back to every time. It's just been really good."
The festivities might be on the horizon, yet there remains the crucial job of returning their boat to the boathouse come morning.
"We've to be back here at Vaires-Sur-Marne at 7:30 tomorrow morning to take care of some important matters so you wouldn't be doing much celebrating the night before that, I'll tell you," O'Donovan remarked.
True to the week's unpredictable nature, it was tough to gauge if he was being serious.
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0