Daire Lynch honoured with Tipperary sports award after unforgettable year

Daire Lynch was one of those elite sportspeople who ensured that Tipperary was caught in the grip of Olympics fever during the past year.

The Clonmel rower wrote himself into the record books when he and Philip Doyle won the bronze medals in the men’s double sculls event at the Paris Olympics.

Cheered on in the final in the French capital by his family and a contingent from Clonmel Rowing Club, he became the first Tipperary athlete since Bob Tisdall in 1932 to win an Olympic medal. Back in his home town, crowds gathered on a sunny morning at the Kickham Plaza to watch the drama unfold on a big screen, as they shared in the Irish rowers’ success.

The Irish pair came in behind the Romanian boat, which won the gold, and the Netherlands, who took the silver.

Lynch and Doyle got their 2024 season off to a great start in April when they won the bronze medal in the 2x at the World Cup regatta in Varese, Italy. The World Cup regattas are an annual series of three events that act as a lead-up to the World Championships or the Olympics.

As their form improved throughout the season, they struck gold in the men’s double sculls in the third World Cup regatta in Poznań Poland in June, as they primed themselves for their medal-winning performance on that unforgettable day in Paris.

Daire Lynch's achievements earned him an Annerville sports award, sponsored by Bulmers, which will be presented by the Tipperary United Sorts Panel at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel next Saturday night, January 25.

Tickets for the event are available from Sports Panel member Ken Conway, email conwayken@eircom.net

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