Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy land World Rowing gong

Ireland's all-conquering lightweight double sculls duo of Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy have been named the Men's Crew of the Year at the World Rowing Awards.

O'Donovan and McCarthy, who went unbeaten in 2021, became the first Irish rowers to win a gold medal at an Olympics with their historic victory at the Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo.

The pair also triumphed at the European Championships last April.

China's women's quadruple sculls crew of Yunxia Chen, Ling Zhang, Yang Lyu and Xiaotong Cui scooped the women's award.

The Thomas Keller Medal, regarded as the sport's most prestigious honorific accolade, went to Olaf Tufte. The Norwegian won two golds, a silver and a bronze at Olympic level in a career which spanned seven Games.