2023 World Rowing Cup III – Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls – A-Final

Watch the A-Final of the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (LM2x) at the 2023 World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Ché and Island in there but I guess the favorites if you’re a betting person would be the Irish and the Mexicans winning their semi-final making this one very interesting as well and in Lane one from Spain katano hotto pombo and Denny caroso Ferrera from France in Lane two Ferdinand ludvig and Hugo

Beret in line three from Ireland Paulo Donovan and Finton McCarthy in lane four from Mexico Alexis Vladimir Lopez Garcia and Miguel Angel Calo natto from Switzerland get ready for those cowbells Raphael ahumada Ireland and Yan Shel France Ireland and from Greece antonus Papa constan Greece and attention kadis pedos

Kadis well yesterday the Irish double were very calm and cool in the first thousand we see them again the slowest off the start here in the center of the course and uh the race will try and go away from them they’ll try and get some lead on that Irish double who I expect

To come through the middle thousand as we’re looking here just s double looking very strong getting away from here they’ve got a very strong team Andre Trina won the lightweight men’s single skull yesterday they worked together as a Tre this is the double they we heading towards that qualifying

We race at the moment but taking a look and wow look at that at the top of the screen over there in Lane number two it’s the French who’ve got a greatly great start what a race we’re going to have unfold down the track here the Swiss they’re undefeated this season

They’ve had two World Cup wins you can see they have the fluro yellow shirts there indicating they are the World Cup Series leaders at this point but of course from Ireland the reigning world and Olympic Champions McCarthy and odonovan do not discount them but this crew from France Ludwig and

Buy they’re the only crew to have beaten the Swiss this season at the semi-final in Veri but couldn’t get the job done in the final winning the silver medal at World Cup 2 to the Swiss so these are the three crews I would expect to see really fighting but what an incredible

Performance we’ve seen from this double from Mexico they’re in lane four they’re one of the fastest qualifiers and they are right up there in the race in third place yeah that’s right the Mexicans were led by the French yesterday as well in their semi-final the French got out

In front um the Mexicans stayed in there they tracked them and then when the time came they just made their move through and the second th000 um to qualify in that in that first leading position putting them in the center of the course so we we haven’t got the Chevron going

On yet and unsurprisingly the Irish like to get into their own world Paulo Donovan um he’s finished his medical studies now now he’s a qualified doctor so expect to see him ramping things up as they move through this year and then on towards the Paris games assuming they get that qualifying

Place but uh yeah I expect to see this tighten up in the second, the French still with half a length lead over the Switzerland uh the crew from Switzerland but the Swiss now we see a little look come across from Yan Shel in the B seat just getting a

Check on that French crew the three lading Crews up on 38 Strokes per minute the Swiss look so relaxed they just float out over the feet don’t they Greg so loose relaxed yes very clean and efficient from that Swiss it’s lovely to see it actually that you got the the graphic

That showed you the crews were more or less all rating the same so then it just comes down to how efficient and connected you are as uh we saw a little look across there uh between the crews to say where are we coming up here towards a thousand they come through the

Thousand it is the Swiss I think who are just moving through the marker says it was the French ahead by .13 but I think that the Swiss are moving for me they look like they’re a bit more upright they’re a bit more on top of but they

Look like they have a gear to go I think the French are going to find this charge now from the Swiss very hard to counter but coming through as we would expect to see the reigning world Olympic champions from Ireland are going to start to challenge now and get themselves into

Medal position you can see the Irish charging down these two race leaders yeah and the Mexicans are in danger of being slightly dropped off this you can see boat number four I said they came through yesterday you wonder how much that took out of them whether

They can get into the metal shake up here as the Swiss will be pleased that they are staying ahead of the Irish double they’re resisting the pressure from the Irish double as you say they seem to be moving on the French who were far starting French you can see the boat

Speed though are hanging in there the Irish are charging never ride these two athletes off McCarthy and odonovan from Ireland we see them there so aggressive Paul o Donovan in the stroke seat reefing back on the those handles as they are now walking right through the French are the Swiss going to be

Able to counter them I don’t think anyone’s going to beat this Irish combination well I said that the stroke rates were all the same didn’t I in the first thousand now take a look at it the Irish have just put the hammer down they’ve gone to 40 Strokes a minute as

We look at Paul odonovan there backed up by finan McCarthy Paul o Donovan has changed his look completely he used to have the big beard the long hair now he’s looking fresh and they have pushed their way through and into that leading position big big third 500 they waited

For it they stayed in their own bubble and uh I wonder if anyone will respond to them now as we’re well into the last quarter of this race the Irish now with half a length lead coached by Dominic Casey do the Swiss have a response we’re going to start to hear those cowbells

Come in is that going to inspire them on do they have another gear to go to challenge the Irish look at the Irish there Paulo Donovan he doesn’t have his thumbs over the ends of the blades it’s always one of those things that looks a bit unusual it’s not what you’d coach

But it works for them almost making the gearing even a little bit harder and the Irish have stepped on with that rate they’ve opened up to half a length but how about the French responding to the challenge to try and hang on and even challenge for that silver medal the

Irish so aggressive up at 43 Strokes per minute the Swiss are stepping up they’re up at 41 you see them gritting their teeth but here come the French the French are coming back in they are sprinting through the Swiss Greg yeah what about that the French they were the

Early leaders they were even coming back on the Irish now if it gets unclean if it gets difficult in that Irish double the French could still challenge them for the gold medal you can see the Gap it’s 5 m of the coming down the last 100

Met or so to the line oh my gosh the Irish look like they’ve blown Greg they’ve shortened up to about half half a stroke length the French are going they’re driving down to the line they bow ball for bow ball I think the Irish just have it no I think the French got

It I think the French got it on the line there let’s have a look we’re going to have to wait for the picture you you said it it looked like the Irish had just shortened up a little bit what a move from the French to get out like

They did have the field come back at them and then to respond that’s exceptional as we see the French Bou and ludvic with the wind the handshake between them what a race what a race the Irish were so brave in that last thousand they just absolutely turned the

Afterburners on but it was costly they dropped down to half slide desperately hoping that line would come but the French they stayed long and as they stepped they were able to take that strike rate up keep their length long and move back through the Irish well

Let’s take a look at just how close it was I don’t think the French LED until that last stroke for about the last 750 m of the course they got the Irish came through them they looked like they were gone the Irish must have thought they were gone and then they found something

They found a brilliant Sprint in that last two 250 or so wow what a fantastic race that one was the as we said they’ve had a very good season already the Swiss double very well supported scold beautifully as they do the World Cup leaders in those yellow

Vests and this is where it came down to just how clean they could be the Irish getting in front there what a response from the French and here it is these final Strokes coming into the line talked about shortening up and you can see just how short the Irish are it’s it’s not

Even half slide it’s quarter slide just trying to get those last few Strokes in was interesting to see that just those last few just how short they became the French will make their way in and prepare for the medal ceremony get a drink as you see confirmation there of

That win for that French B and ludvic ahead of the Irish [Applause] and that’s