Kerry and Limerick duo win historic gold at U19 World Rowing Championships
At the 500m mark, the duo pushed away from the field and had clear water by 900m. Their lead continued to grow throughout the race, and they crossed the line with two lengths of clear water in a time of 6:39.57. They finished just over seven seconds ahead of Greece in second and just under 18 seconds ahead of Germany in third. Only five boats started the final after Hungary withdrew before the off due to medical reasons. Italy finished fourth and the Netherlands in fifth.
"The Greeks beat us in the Europeans and we knew they'd go off hard, the same with Germany," said Rafferty.
"We said we'd try to dominate from the start and push the whole way through, squeeze the legs to 750m and 1250m and it worked the whole way through.
"I've been waiting for this for years. It's an unreal feeling. It's amazing to be able to represent the green jersey alone. To be able to win a gold medal is a different type of feeling, I can't process it yet."
Kirby added: "It was good. Everything went to plan, we felt in good shape, and it went perfectly. [The support] is amazing. When you're getting into the last 500m, it carries you home - it feels like you're sharing the pain."
The women's double of Aoife Hendy (Skibbereen RC) and Sophia Young (Methodist College Belfast RC) finished fifth in their final. Sitting in sixth for much of the race, they surged past Poland and battled with Hungary for fourth place but narrowly missed out. They crossed the line in 07:55.30. Greece claimed gold while Great Britain finished second and Germany in third.
It was a landmark regatta for Irish rowing with history made in the men's double and every crew finishing inside the world's top ten.
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