Sport for Business
Sport for Business
From Paris Podiums to LA Plans: Inside Ireland’s New Heavyweight Rowing Duo
Let us know what’s on your mind
A new boat, a fresh medal, and a partnership built on trust, this conversation dives straight into how Fintan McCarthy and Philip Doyle are reinventing Irish rowing momentum on the road to LA.
We pull back the curtain on their whirlwind post-Paris year: Philip navigating shifts in the emergency department before rediscovering his competitive fire, Fintan shifting from lightweight to heavyweight without chasing “dead weight,” and the two of them finding speed after only a handful of rows together.
The Shanghai story is bigger than a bronze. Fintan and Mags Cremen snatched a world title in the mixed double with a one-spin warm-up, proving that shared technique and fearless execution can trump rehearsal.
Then comes the moment that hits hardest: Jake McCarthy’s breakthrough podium in the single, a long-awaited result that Fintan counts among his proudest career highlights.
It’s high performance shaped by real life—family, grief, and the choice to let emotion sharpen, not shake, the blade.
If you’re curious about how elite teams actually build speed—through honest conversations, evidence-led training, and hard-earned trust—you’ll feel right at home here. Join us, subscribe for more candid conversations with Ireland’s best, and leave a review with the one insight you’ll take into your own work or training.
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Hello and welcome to the Sports Business Podcast. I'm your host, Rob Hartnett, and today we are in conversation with two of Ireland's finest Olympian athletes. Both of them meddled at the Paris Games, and they're now in the same boat together, at least from the last World Cup, and aiming towards Los Angeles 2028. It is, of course, Finton McCarthy and Philip Doyle, two of Ireland's premier rowers. The conversation extends to how they got together in the boat, competing now at the heavyweight division. And we also touch on a variety of different subjects, including what was Finton McCarthy's highlight of his career to date. It doesn't involve a medal for himself.
SPEAKER_01:Being here and putting our little nation on the map, it's just, you know, this is the stuff of of dreams.
SPEAKER_03:It's spinny, it's spinning! Jonathan 60!
unknown:He hates it! He hates it!
SPEAKER_02:This is the main Sport for Business podcast, but we've also recently started a daily version, a five-minute audio blast, looking at the content which we publish on sportforbusiness.com each day. We work with all of the leading sponsors and all of the leading sports organizations, and we cover everything where the intersection comes between the world of sport and the world of business. We do this through this podcast, through the excessive extensive content that we produce on sportforbusiness.com and through a wide variety of events that we stayed throughout the year. You can find out more at sportforbusiness.com. We recorded these two interviews at the launch of the extension of McKeever sport relationship with the Olympic Federation of Ireland, stretching all the way through Los Angeles 2028 towards Brisbane in 2032. And first into the hot seat was Philip Doyle, bronze medalist from Paris 2024, and the newly minted partner in the heavyweight skulls men singles with Vinta McCarthy. So how have you been? What's 2025 proven to be like for uh for you so far after the the enormous high of 24 and Paris and Olympic medals and and everything else? What's this year been like?
SPEAKER_04:This year has been a whirlwind of everything, to be honest. Um I've had my first set of medical exams for a long time, which was interesting, getting back to studying from 2018. So uh it was that was a challenge which was great. Um great to feel smart again, which was nice. And yeah, then I I got home. I got I I I spent some time with family and friends over Christmas, the longest I'd say ever in such a long time. Moved home for a few months, then quickly moved out.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Uh I love my mother, but uh, we're very different.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and you get to a certain stage in life.
SPEAKER_04:Just you know, where you go and none of your business, you know, it comes up a lot. Um so yeah, it's great to be home, great to be in your family, back to work, really enjoyed it, got a new challenge, went in working in the emergency department, which was one of the most amazing challenges and experiences that I've ever had. I've always been working in the wards in the hospital, so that I I always knew you'd be suited to my personality type.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And I got in and it I was right, and I just loved Crick Avon. Okay, right. So I just loved every minute of being in around that atmosphere and the you know the fire in it and the busyness. That was great. And then I had the the challenge of getting back up to speed with everybody on the roan boat then whenever I finally came back in May. Uh, and it was difficult a few weeks, and then I sort of had to fall in love with Rowan again, and then I found that you know that competitive drive was really still there, okay. And I was like, right, this is a good decision to come back. Um, and then luckily myself and Finton find our way to each other at the end of July, and we had a great uh campaign at the World Championships.
SPEAKER_02:Was that was that always in the back of Dominic's mind or your mind? Or no? Okay.
SPEAKER_04:Well, what's your story? Don't know what's your story. Well, Finton, what are we doing? Oh, I don't know, what are you doing? You know, that everyone was kind of their cards. Um and then at the end of it, I had to kind of break into Finton and Conan. We're in a double together, doing exceptionally well, winning medals, um, and I had to try and say, right, I think I'll do a better job. Okay. There was another trial scheduled for the whole team. Uh we were re-ranked, three we retrialed, re-raced, and Finton and I, it was our second time ever in a boat together.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_04:The one time before we did it to annoy our old performance director, and we went out as little scalywags when Dara and Paul were sick. We were like, Oh, we go and row together just to everyone. Okay. Uh so we had our second race together, we we we won then the trial then together, and then we had our our our second row together, and then we had our second race together in the world championships in the heats, uh, which we won again, which was great.
SPEAKER_02:That was only the second.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, second race together everywhere in the boat, yeah. Okay, yeah, yeah. Yeah, which was great because it was new and we were we were finding and we were learning more about each other all the time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and the whole team was kind of coming together in a new sort of post-Paris sort of mode. I remember speaking to Fiona, and Fiona was coming out of a team and was going in to to to rode the single skulls, which she's obviously done brilliantly at, but talking to her about it, and like psychologically, it was kind of tough. She was sitting on a bench thinking, I need somebody to talk to, I need a I need a mate. So, like the relationship that you would have had with Dara all the way through and trying to forge a new relationship then with with Finton, how how did you find that in your head?
SPEAKER_04:Easy with Finton to be completely honest. Like we lived together in 2019. Uh Finton, Jake, and I um shared a house in Wilton in Cork, and that's where our friendship really began. And then we were competing with each other, but never directly until this year, because they were obviously lightweight and we were heavy. Yeah, and so this was the first time that our we actually like raced each other with oh, one of us could potentially not be where we want at the end of this. Whereas it was always like when we raced each other, it was like that's fine, because at the end he'd go to the lightweight double with Paul, and I'll go to the heavyweight double with Tara. Yeah, it'll be fine. Whereas this time it was like, geez, we could we could be really going two to two here. Um so that friendship then just helped us understand each other, like we understood each other very quickly. Um, I know what he likes, he knows what I like, and we know what each other don't like as well, so we know how not to piss the other person off and get the most out of each other. I think it all helps open up a level of honesty between each other in the partnership to get the most out of the boat at all times. Okay, like there was one there was the other day I was in the World Championships, things become heightened and little things can annoy you. And then I turned around to him and was like, by the way, like is this annoying you? And he's like, No, not really. And I was like, Alright, I'll turn it down. Yeah, and you you're able to get more out of the park. That friendship was great.
SPEAKER_02:I remember chatting to him at at a previous session, and and for him it was you know the sort of the lightweight moving up to heavyweight, the idea of having to put on bulk, which he kind of felt, well, you know, he he was okay with that, and he was it was more about power than about bulk anyway. What was the what was the difference in the weight? That first morning when you decided that this was gonna happen, what was the differential between the two?
SPEAKER_04:Between him and I?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:I was I was I raced at 92 kilograms um and I'm 197 centimetres, and Finton is now don't quote uh let me ask him himself because 177 centimetres. Okay, yeah, and he was about 78 kilos, 77 kilos. Yeah. So he came he raced at 70 beforehand, and he would have sat around 75, 76 through the winter. That's right. So it wasn't a huge jump, um, but he put on a bit of muscle mass, and I think he did the right thing because some heavyweights just go right right, eat whatever you can, put on as much weight as possible, but it's dead weight, it's like useful in the boat. Whereas Finn just put on a small bit of muscle through the air. He kept the body fat percentage low, so it was watts per kilogram, he was power output remained very high, so I think he went the right way about it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. So those technical sides of things are uh really important.
SPEAKER_04:No, we don't do all these things independently, you know, they scored out of paper there, there's church tests and with the physiologist on board now, so they're all involved. They guide that process a lot, and they always tell me to eat more, but I think part of it is that the boat liked actually helped because there's there's lads in that row and boats out there hundred and 110 kilograms. Oh, okay. They're two six centimetres tall, do you know, like there's big men in that.
SPEAKER_02:That's a that's a lot of additional waste though. It's a lot of momentum, yeah, physiologically or or physics-wise, but but it is a huge amount of weight in the last 25 metres of a race.
SPEAKER_04:Well the problem is is some of those big boys at that are are churning out some serious power as well, so it could work to their advantage. I knew their body fat could be lean too, so it's always like all these idler, the world champion, like he's like six, he's six ten, I think. Yeah, so he's a big unit of the fella, and he turns out some power. So if they can remain efficient, they're the dangerous ones.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. What was um I'll ask him as well, but how was it for Finton when Jake did so well out in the world as well? Like, I mean, that must have been special.
SPEAKER_04:I for everyone it was special to see Jake finally win a medal. Um you know, Europeans last year he was he was on for a medal, Europeans this year he was on for a medal. You know, we watched Jake's for so many years. Um and this year it was very special to see him finally you know get on good podium. Um now I know he's starting a big job next week, uh so he's delighted he's moving over to London. Okay I had to have I had to say to him, I was like, Cloud, you've got your finance job, you're happy. I was like, you've got your medal. I was like, I don't want to see you. Yeah, I don't want to see you giving this job up to come back with notions of Rowan, but uh he was just for the whole team, I think he was delighted for Jim. Yeah, and it was worth it to say if I get the medical.
SPEAKER_02:And from your point of view, like being being qualified as a doctor, working in the in the medical profession, is you're perhaps in a slightly different place to some of the athletes who are full-time professional athletes, even if they don't have necessarily the funding to actually support a full-time professional athlete. How do you balance that as well? Because we're familiar with Paul and and how he's kind of you know sought to remove himself from the from the boat at times to actually sort of devote himself to it. Where where's your head at that at the moment?
SPEAKER_04:Uh difficult because you do have to, you know, you have to sacrifice part of each moment. Um I think for LA this will probably be the longest full-time commitment I'll have to rowing. Like the furthest out from a competition that I'll sort of commit full, you know, to really going at it hard for a few years.
SPEAKER_02:Um is that done now? So that's so you're so you're you're qualified, fully qualified as a doctor?
SPEAKER_04:Oh yeah, five years, yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah. So now I have the luxury where I can kind of come back and do locums and and take on, you know, uh you you have certain level of skill sets that you can kind of go with the hospital and different things. So your career ladder is static, but you know, your skills and your your ability outside of that can improve, which is great. I can take some time to do some extra courses and things uh to try and help with the C V. But uh I think like Paul went back working, like working rather than as a medical student this year. And then I think I think he realized the difficulties of actually working as a doctor versus not a medical student, which is the world's arc, you know, you're working nights and long days and turns because the lecturer doesn't show up.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So I think then this year he came back with Dara in his turn where I think the place fit. So that challenge uh was really present for him. Um I think people embarrassed me how much I don't know what I'm doing, if that makes sense. Um I get people asking me all the time, especially on social media, they'd be messaging me, said, Oh, I'm starting as a medical student and I want to keep rolling. How did you do it? I genuinely answer like I just did it. You just each day you take it day by day and try and hit as many points as you can. And looking back on it now, I could show you kind of how I did it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:But I don't know if it's right. Yeah. You know, there could be a better way. Um but you just kind of muddle through and just do as much as you can and keep your big ticket items, I always say, and then try and hit the big ticket items and then hit the small stuff after.
SPEAKER_02:You carry that quite lightly though. Like I mean, you know, yeah. Yeah. Like that level of attainment in both academic life and in sporting life is something that mere mortals we can only ever aspire to.
SPEAKER_04:Well, it's it's it's not as special as people make it out to be, but um some of my colleagues would see me as you know maybe you should focus a wee bit more on your career, and then some of the athletes are sort of saying, Oh, maybe you should stop working as much, you might do better rowing. So both are it's like in college, um we get ranked. So I I I finished my college degree and I didn't get uh the top, top, top rank. But I was third death, so in the top 35 of the year of 300 students. So I'm quite and I won a few prizes for different things just by accident. Um people always said to me if you hadn't have done the rowing, you would have done way better. I genuinely think I could have done worse. Yeah. No, I think maybe the rolling could be a focus and a headspace and an outlet. Like I trained in the mornings of my exams. Because I just everyone was sitting scrolling and searching and going over last-minute notes on the in on the rolling machine, had a shower, maybe did a sonnet, rolled up. I remember rocking up to the exams, clean, fresh, on the bike, crazy, with the shower, feeling great, warm. Some of the girls in the year would be like ghostly white, haven't eaten right in three days, yeah, panicking, no makeup on, in there like dishevelled and panicking, holding all these notes and I've got are you worried? Yeah. Are you are you stressed? That used to give me I used to be like, I'm gonna do better than that person. I'm gonna do better than that person. I'm relaxed, I'm calm, I'm going in here, I'm gonna present my answers in the best way, I'm gonna be able to clearly think about the things I start panicking. Yeah, that might be about two percent. They might have put three times the work into it.
SPEAKER_02:Healthy body and a healthy mind and and and all of that.
SPEAKER_04:And not giving too much to one thing. Um I think it it's how you become successful over time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. You took part in the the Dare to Believe program over the last year as well, and you were helping to judge at the PE Expo this year or walk walking around with Kelly and with Ellen and and and whoever else it was that were that was going around. Did you enjoy that?
SPEAKER_04:I love like I love getting back into the schools. I'm going back to my secondary school for the first time ever. Well on the 24th of this month to do the prize day. Okay. Which school is it? Bambridge Academy. Right. In Bamridge, okay. And I think just uh like the dare to believe is perfect. I love getting into the schools, I love getting into the kids. Because ultimately, rowing, I'm the the the medals are for me. But staying in the rowing and staying going at the training, it's about bringing more people to the sport and keeping kids in sport and healthier for longer. And I think the only way to do that is to just keep them interested, give them something to look towards, give them a reason a lot of keep them going in sport. I think being part of those programs is just like fantastic. Like what else? You can look back and say, Oh, what what did you do with your medal? People always say like uh Michael Jordan was one of the best. But if you watch the last dance documentary, they always say he never stood for any you know, he never stood for anything. He could have you know, like uh Muhammad Ali or what did he you know, you remember him, he stood for himself. He didn't want to be cast as cloud.
SPEAKER_02:They would be on a different podium when it comes to that.
SPEAKER_04:So they're like, you have to use the sport for something, not just accrue on your own personal memorabilia. You have to really use the sport as a platform. I think the Dare to Believe programme is a great platform to try and spread sport.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. Well, the very best of luck, yeah. Cheers. Los Angeles, yeah. Just around the corner.
SPEAKER_04:I know. Well it'll be next thing. We're going to meet Finton and I are going to Boston next week for a race. So we're racing the head of the chores, so we'll pop over the bottom. Oh right, okay. That's a big one, yeah. We went last year and we raced each other in singles. Right.
SPEAKER_02:Great stuff. Then Philip was off to get his photograph taken, and as he walked out into the studio, walked his partner in crime, Finton McCarthy, our two-time Olympic gold medalist, and we got straight into it with a conversation about the payers' performance at the world championship over in Shanghai.
SPEAKER_00:Like we were obviously trying to win it, so it was a little bit um like disappointing immediately to be to be a bit off that gold medal, but I think on reflection, it's something that we should be really proud of just because it's year one, you know, and I think um before we did the trials, I didn't even know if I was gonna do the world championships. Okay. Like we'd had a pretty successful season, and I was to be honest, I've been pretty tired the second half of the year. Um, but just because uh despite that things were going so well, like the the national trials went really well, the championships went really well. Um I just thought it would be a bit of a waste to see how well we could do given the position we were in in terms of the preparation. Like obviously have been prioritizing um maybe normal life a bit more this year. Um so yeah, I just thought it was a eventually after Phil and I got put together, it'd be good to um get some experience in the boat together, um see where we are, um and what we can do given the given the the standard of our preparation.
SPEAKER_02:Is it right that the hease, the first hease house in Shanghai was the second race that you had actually road together?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, we did one race after the trial together, and then that he was our second time racing together. Yeah. So when you say it is a high ceiling, is very high ceiling. Yeah, I think so. Like usually it doesn't make, you know, sometimes it doesn't make that much of a difference, we thought um just because we have like never rode together, maybe once. Um it was there was a lot of kind of tweaking and and learning in the in the preparation, whereas usually that would be all out the way at that stage, and you'd kind of have a solid um few weeks of solidifying that like rhythm and uh the and the approach and things like that. Like we I think we found it a few times, which made the bronze even a little bit more um frustrating because um there was glimpses of it of how fast we could really go in training. Um so um but it you know, even having said that, it's just it's just motivation really to get that out. And I've had a lot of different characters this year as well, and that was uh one of the cool things for me this year was just to kind of branch out of it and and learn how to row with other people again.
SPEAKER_02:And particularly at a time when your your your life in rowing in terms of that the lightweight and the heavyweight was going to change anyway, so why not?
SPEAKER_00:Exactly, yeah, and newly use it to better myself, obviously, and and learn the other guys, but continually to kind of spread a bit of knowledge amongst the team as well, which I found um kind of rewarding this year, actually. Like uh I was challenging one of the guys about it on the on one of those nights after the races, and um he he he did mention it and said that it was actually um like kind of a virtuous thing to do, which I never really saw it that way, but I'm glad that I'm glad that he did because it does it does make me feel pretty good to be in a position where I can pass on a bit of knowledge and hopefully make us all better because at the end of the day there's probably six or seven guys there now who could be in that that vote in LA. Um so to be a part of maybe getting us all on the same page um feels pretty good.
SPEAKER_02:And oftentimes that sort of that that mentorship is in relation to how you're doing it within schools and within kids and you're inspiring the nation, but actually bringing it into the very specifics of the team room and being recognized, even if you're not you don't realize what you're doing, but if others realize it, then that's even more important.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, and I think it's it's important for me as as well because I remember um how it made me feel when I had people do that for me when I was coming up from the sport. So let's say, you know, the likes of um Paul and Gary and Shane and and guys at the club who were older. Um I remember just soaking up anything they would they would say to me, or um, you know, feeling 10 foot tall when they gave you a good job, or or um you know alluded to things going the right direction.
SPEAKER_02:So you've grown up in public, but you've also grown up in yourself in terms of just your own your own position within the team. Um Shanghai was a bit special apart altogether from that bronze as well, but growing with mags and meddling again and like the first time an Irish team has competed in this event.
SPEAKER_00:It's uh it is actually a brand new event, so we were the first ever world champions in the event, which was quite cool. That's very cool. Um I it just came off because basically we we heard that World Roman were introducing this event um in this this year. Okay, so they brought in the mixed double and the mixed age for the world championships, and um we just thought it was a great opportunity to one uh practice doubling up in an in a regatta just because it seems like world roaming are really pushing that. Like they want people competing in multiple events, and they want um there's even talks of the program changing in the Olympics to reflect that so and to allow that. Um so that was uh one of the reasons. But I think the main reason was just that we've we've sort of uh come up within that lightweight side of things um quite like par in a parallel sort of way, like we've both sort of been in the the program a similar amount of time, and I think we have a really similar to approach to training and technique and racing, so it nearly felt natural that it would probably be the best option, and then um just in terms of scheduling and stuff like that, um it we both we were both not racing on on those days, so we kind of decided early in the year we might give it a crack after the trials where we'd been both performing pretty well.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, can you still remember that first conversation? Was it was it you or was it her or was it Dominic or was it one of the coaches?
SPEAKER_00:Um it was probably me to be honest. I think uh I think like Mags is so focused and so um I guess she was just on her own path at that point um in terms of trying to get the the women's double going. Um but I think because this year I was having such a like making fun again and and try and return to the to the like play side of things. Um I I said it here once the once the drawing was announced. And we I think we were all in the in the team kitchen and I uh kind of said it with everyone and we we were all debating what the best combination might be, and we'll have to race each other and then after after a few of the trials um I asked Dominic uh if we could enter the boat at the World Championships just so um just to bring a bit of novelty and a bit a bit of fun to the regatta, and he didn't have an issue with it as long as it didn't affect our other our other boat. So we didn't train in it. We literally hopped in, I think we were both finished racing in our doubles on the Friday, so we went for one spin on the Saturday and ended up winning then on the Sunday, which was pretty cool. You know, there's rollers all over the world that might be listening to that and thinking. Yeah, well I think I think a lot of the other teams are probably on the same sort of wavelength there. But having said that, like the the calibre of athlete in the event ended up being really strong. Like we had, I think, I'm trying to count now so I don't get lost, but I'm pretty sure there was six or seven Olympic medalists in in the final, which is a pretty mean field. Yeah, so this wasn't just a fun event at the end of the matter, this was which is what we thought it was gonna be. And we kind of had that had that approach and an idea of it until we lined up for the Heat and Um We had uh you know, Olympic champions in the Chinese boats, Olympic medalists in the Dutch boats, um the Swiss both came fourth at the Olympics. Um I'm sure I'm missing a few there as well.
SPEAKER_02:Uh but uh the quality of the city. But the caliber, yeah, it was no joke. Yeah. So then so you've so you've meddled with Philip, you've become world champion with Mag, and then as well as that you got Jake. How much, how special was that for you as a brother who's who's been there and who has seen him come so close?
SPEAKER_00:To be honest, that was probably one of the highlights of my career, to be honest, not even just staring at it. Like when I say like we've been on the same path pretty much our whole careers, the same doing the same training. Uh, it's just that the outcomes have been so different and so unfairly in my favor every time. Not unfair in terms of what's happened, but just the fact that it's pretty much never gone his way. Um and just to have him behind me for all those moments, um, especially when he was so injured as well. And even, you know, thinking back, you do kind of question whether I could have been a better support then because he was doing such a good job at supporting me through the you know, through Olympics, through world championships, um, when he wasn't even in a position to get out of bed some days. Um so for us all to get behind him on Saturday, and uh we were all standing on the bank, we were nearly lined up at each section of the last 500 taken in turns to kind of like just wheel him down the course. Yeah. And he was probably the least impressed, to be honest. Like, I think he came up and had a few a few things he thinks he could have done better, but just to see him finally get get on the podium um for the first time ever was um was yeah, to be honest, amazing. And for him to have done it by himself as well, I think. You know, it was um it was just sort of a full circle moment, and I hope that he is as proud of it as as we all are of him. And I think he he is and he will be. Yeah, he will be.
SPEAKER_02:I think that's yeah, it it'll probably take a while to set in. And your granny had passed away just before you went out to Shanghai as well. So the emotion of that together with being out there with Jake as well, it should be very special.
SPEAKER_00:Of course, yeah, and I think I did feel through the Rihanna that there was um that we had a bit of health, you know. I think it was just nice to know that um me and Jake obviously were there for each other as well. Uh it was very hard to be away from from family and times like that, especially being so far away. So it was nice that that we did have each other for that. And um yeah, I think that did carry over to the support during the racing. You know, there's just a bit more emotion involved, which I think is always quite good. Like it's good to be clinical, but I like the I just like you know being in being in the emotion of it and and it makes it uh a different experience for sure. Yeah. And a better one, doubtedly. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:Both from a sporting point of view but also from a very human point of view. Yeah. So when we spoke beforehand, you were enjoying the year and it was going to be a little bit more play. Can you see now that you can actually go and play a little bit more and get back into real life now that the worlds are done, or what's the what's the process like? Does does LA begin to kind of loom on a closer horizon now?
SPEAKER_00:I think what I what I say sometimes is that it it's when you're this far out, it is nearly more of a presence than LA itself. Once you get closer to it, it becomes very process driven, and you're just kind of taking boxes and and getting from one thing to the next. But at the moment, um because it's nearly more prevalent in your mind that we want to win gold medals in LA. Um, we're sort of starting to put um the plans together and extract the learnings from the play we've had this year and sort of maybe next year make it a little bit more streamlined and and focused. But one thing I'm excited about is that maybe this year the the feeling of of doing something different was coming from more uh outside of training and and sort of sacrificing a bit of fitness here and there for some more human experiences. Uh whereas now we've got um we've got a load of um new and old support stuff on board, but just because of the way the system is set up now, there's gonna be a lot of room for um collaboration between between those supports, and we've already seen it uh at this regatta. We had our physiologist um Lorenz Kissling with us, he's just joined us from New Zealand, and um he's actually uh um he would have worked under Caroline McManus in New Zealand, so that's nearly another full circle thing. Um, and we're so excited to have him, like he's done an amazing job with us so far, and I think we all feel like um excited to to push the boundaries there and try things that we haven't tried before um in a rowing context, yeah, and it's not gonna be a chore, and it's not gonna be that that formula that we we had before that's worked so well, but we're gonna be changing it and gonna be and make it even better, I think.
SPEAKER_02:Even new head of high performance coming in as well, Nile Carroll coming over from a very strong Olympic program in the boxing as well, so that must be exciting.
SPEAKER_00:Very exciting, yeah. And I've I met Niall in the Rome Centre before we left, and um yeah, just excited to see where where things are gonna go. I think he has a really good understanding of um of high performance sport in general, and also he seems to have a really good grasp of what the role needs. In previous times, I think there was a lot of blurred lines between what the role of high performance director actually is, okay, and I feel like he he he understands it very well. So I think that will um that will it will only send us.
SPEAKER_02:So that will help on the coaching side, it'll help on the team side, it'll help on the the overall performance side.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So it's exciting times to be honest. Very exciting, yeah. To be this far out from a games and yet to be already on that pathway. And when it feels so far out for us, it probably feels incredibly close for you when you're in the midst of it. But um, brilliant performances in Shanghai all across the board, and uh the very best of luck with the coming years. Thanks. It's rare enough to have back-to-back conversations with a pair of Olympians who between them hold already three medals and clearly have the promise of more to come as well. That was Finton McCarthy preceded by Philip Doyle, two of our great rowers. Thank you for listening in. I hope you learned something from us, uh, even if it is just to get to know these Olympians just a little bit better. It is always a pleasure to chat to them and to find out ways in which the lessons that they've learned through sport can translate over into the rest of the world. So we have uh our Sport for Business Daily, which is carrying on on, as you might uh feel, on a daily basis at the moment. Uh it is a wrap-up of what we are publishing each day, each morning and each evening on sportforbusiness.com about the commercial world of Irish sport. And the next in our series of interviews for the main Sport for Business podcast is with Dara Green, another Olympian, and with Porig O'Kain, who, as a fellow Longfoot man, has stepped in to provide some extra support, both financial but as we discover in the interview, more through the mentoring and the life coaching, I guess. And uh we talk about the value of that from business to sport as well as from sport to business. We have a number of events coming up. Uh, you can find out more about that at sportforbusiness.com. If you've enjoyed this, you can subscribe to the podcast uh on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast from, or you can sign up for the Sport for Business Daily Bulletins and always be notified when the next one is going to drop. Thanks very much for allowing me and us to spend time in your company, and we look forward to doing so again very soon. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Being here and putting our little nation on the map, it's just, you know, this is the stuff of of dreams.
SPEAKER_03:It's pretty, it's pretty, Jonathan Sixton.
