Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy grab European gold in Munich

Ireland's lightweight double sculls crew of Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy cruised to victory in their final at the European Rowing Championships in Munich this morning.

Racing in lane 3, O'Donovan and McCarthy sat in second and stalked Switzerland for much of the race, with Italy back in third.

However, with 500m to go, the Irish crew surged clear of their rivals to stop the clock in six minutes 34.72 seconds.

Italy snatched silver in 6:38.40, with Switzerland rounding off the podium places as they crossed the line in 6:39.67.