O’Donovan wins sculls gold at world championships

Paul O’Donovan has followed up last month’s Olympic gold by winning the men’s lightweight singles sculls final at the World Rowing Championships on Lake Ontario.

O’Donovan won the lightweight double sculls gold alongside Fintan McCarthy in Paris to become Ireland’s first three-time Olympic medallist.

The Skibbereen rower secured a third world singles sculls triumph at St Catharines by coming in over two seconds ahead of Greece’s Antonios Papakonstantinou, with Niels Torre of Italy in third.

O’Donovan moved through from fifth place early in Saturday’s race to win in 6:49.98.

Galway’s Siobhán McCrohan took bronze in the women’s lightweight single sculls in a race won by Romania’s Ionela Cozmiuc.

Defending champion McCrohan was edged out of second place by Zoi Fitsiou of Greece and finished in a time of 7:32.94.