Irish rowers Gary and Paul O’Donovan are looking forward to getting in on the festivities at home after taking the silver medal in the Rio Olympics.
The brothers lamented in a post-race interview that they were missing out on the fun in Ireland, which they compared to “a national holiday.”
“It’s a pity we’re missing the whole thing out here,” Gary O’Donovan said.
While their hometown of Skibbereen celebrated, the brothers were focused on talking with the media, trying to get some pizza and the challenges of complying with anti-doping rules.
“I was there for an hour or two trying to take a pee then into a cup for them,” said Paul O’Donovan, the younger of the two, adding that he had to drink about 10 liters of water.
Their charmingly frank interview delighted fans on social media.
The O’Donovans’ parents got a warm welcome at the Cork Airport on Friday when they returned from Rio and are said to be thinking about their trip to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.
And the boys did finally get that pizza.