Racing for the 2023 World Championships begins on Sunday, September 3, in Belgrade, Serbia. Below, we preview the men's lightweight double sculls event.
ENTRIES - 27
2020 Olympic Champion – Ireland
2022 World Champion – Ireland
RACICE 2022 RECAP
Italy were the leaders through 500 meters, but the field was very tightly packed with just half a length separating first to sixth. At the halfway mark, the Olympic champion Irish Double of McCarthy and O'Donovan grabbed the lead over Italy and Switzerland as the crews started to separate. Ireland continued to stretch their lead to the line, winning by a little bit of open water, with Italy winning the sprint for silver over Ukraine, with Switzerland in fourth.
Watch the final from Racice here.
2023 SEASON RECAP
The Swiss and French doubles have led the event so far in 2023, with the Swiss winning the first three events: World Cup I, World Cup II, and the European Championships. The French finished second at World Cup II and then first at World Cup III.
The defending champion Irish double has only raced once so far this year with their intact lineup, taking silver at World Cup II. The additional doubles that have shown good speed are the Italians, with a new combo, the Czechs, and the Greeks.
USA PROSPECTS
The United States debuts a new lineup in the lightweight men's double with Zach Heese and Jimmy McCullough. Heese returns from last year's double, which won the C Final in Racice. McCullough raced as the USA LM1x last year, finishing fifth in the C Final for that event. The task of qualifying the USA for the Paris Olympics in this event is extremely difficult, with only the top seven doubles from Belgrade qualifying from a deep and talented pool of lightweights. Qualifying for the B final would be a good result for the new USA lineup.
MEDAL PICKS
The Irish pair arrive in Belgrade as slight favorites, even after their first loss in the event in four years, by just 0.1 seconds in Lucerne. They will be pushed hard by both Swiss and French doubles for the top of the podium, but expect Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, and Ukraine to be in the mix for a medal as well, and the margins will likely be razor thin.
GOLD – IRELAND
SILVER – FRANCE
BRONZE - SWITZERLAND
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