O'Grady and Claffey: bronze medal winners on the world stage
Westmeath Independent Community & Sports Awards in association with Westmeath County Council
Donagh Claffey & Martin O’Grady: Young Sportsperson of the Year finalist
Athlone duo Martin O'Grady and Donagh Claffey brought home a bronze medal for Ireland in this year's U23 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.
Competing in the U23 men’s double sculls last July, Martin and Donagh, both of whom began rowing at Athlone Boat Club, delivered a performance of immense courage and control in an exciting and closely fought final.
With a mere 2.5 seconds separating all six boats at the finish line, they showed not only speed and raw power but incredible composure on the world stage. Their result marked Ireland’s only podium of the championships and one of the closest finishes of the event.
O'Grady and Donagh Claffey, representing University of Galway, set a blistering pace from the start and led to the 1000m mark with France and Italy in hot pursuit. At the halfway point immense pressure came as Portugal and Italy surged to take second and third position, but France, Germany and Lithuania all remained within striking distance.
With 500m to go, Portugal edged into the lead with Italy on the charge taking second position. Claffey and O’Grady were pushed into third place but remained firmly in medal contention as all crews charged into the final 250m.
What followed was an absolute epic sprint to the line with all six crews driving towards the finish line in search of a podium finish. Italy crossed first to take gold, Germany snatched silver, and the Irish duo held their nerve to secure bronze by a margin of just 0.01 seconds behind Germany in an incredible photo finish.
Martin from Kiltoom is a son of the late Mary and Declan O'Grady. Mary passed away in 2021 and Athlone Boat Club named a boat in her memory recently in a poignant event attended by Declan and his family.
From Fardrum, Athlone, Donagh is a son of Orlagh and Justin Claffey. Donagh's younger brother Rían is also an accomplished rower who represented Ireland at the U19 World Rowing Championships in Canada last year.
The medal-winning exploits of Claffey and O'Grady represented just one of the success stories associated with Athlone Boat Club in 2025. Richard Heaslip, Sarah Rockett and Anna O'Grady (a sister of Martin) represented Ireland in the U19 World Rowing Championships in Lithuania, while Darragh Collins and Dominick Cunningham were chosen to compete in the Coupe de le Jeunesse in Austria - a competition which brings together Europe's best junior rowers.
The other Young Sportsperson of the Year finalists are Andrew Henson and Tadhg Baker
The Young Sportsperson of the Year category is sponsored by the Shamrock Lodge Hotel