Paul O'Donovan was born on 19 April 1994 and is an Irish lightweight rower.
16 Facts About Paul O'Donovan
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Paul O'Donovan is a double Olympic champion in the lightweight double sculls, where he set a world's best time for that event, and a seven-time world champion in single and double sculls.
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In December 2024, Paul O'Donovan was named RTE Sportsperson of the Year 2024.
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Paul O'Donovan was born on 19 April 1994 in Lisheen near Skibbereen, County Cork, to Teddy and Trish O'Donovan.
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Paul O'Donovan entered UCD in 2012 on an Ad Astra Elite Athlete Scholarship and graduated with a BSc in Physiotherapy from University College Dublin in 2017.
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Paul O'Donovan went on to University College Cork where he studied Graduate Entry Medicine, receiving a Quercus Sports' Scholarship and graduating in May 2023 with first class honours.
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Paul O'Donovan was introduced to rowing in 2001 aged around seven when his father took the two brothers to Skibbereen Rowing Club.
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Paul O'Donovan is the third cousin of Irish Olympic rowing bronze medalist Emily Hegarty.
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In 2008, the Paul O'Donovan brothers were selected for the Irish junior team at the Home International Regatta held in Cardiff, Wales, and won gold in the junior quad sculls.
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Paul O'Donovan competed in the single sculls; he became the junior single sculls champion of Ireland when he was 15 and was placed fourth in the 2011 World Junior Championships.
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Paul and Gary O'Donovan won silver in the lightweight double sculls at the first World Rowing Cup events of the year in Varese, Italy.
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The Paul O'Donovan brothers had narrowly qualified for the Rio Olympics by beating Greece at the 2015 World Championship.
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At the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Florida, Paul O'Donovan won gold at the lightweight men's single sculls.
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Paul O'Donovan was paired with Fintan McCarthy instead of his brother Gary at the 2019 World Rowing Championships held at Linz-Ottensheim in Austria.
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Paul O'Donovan raced with McCarthy at the 2021 European Rowing Championships, where they won gold.
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Just a few weeks after his Olympic success Paul O'Donovan won gold in the Single Sculls at the World Championships in Canada.