IRELAND’S ZOE HYDE AND Mags Cremen have won a gold medal in the final of the women’s double sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam.

Rowing in lane one, the pair clocked 6:43.48 as they crossed the finish line in victory.

They were second after 500m behind the Netherlands, and maintained that position through the 1000m mark. Hyde and Cremen fought brilliantly over the final 500m, eventually edging ahead in a thrilling conclusion.

“It was so tight,” a breathless Hyde said after their win. “We were holding on for dear life and we just held on.

“When we were warming up, they were cheering, ‘Ireland,’ and it just gave me goosebumps. And we had to do it for them.

Cremen added:

“We just kept the belief. A dream come true, can’t believe it. From the second we got to Amsterdam, we just had this belief in ourselves and kept it the whole way.”

Roos de Jong and Benthe Boonstra took silver for the Netherlands in 6:44.51 while bronze went to Switzerland duo Salome Ulrich and Fabienne Schweizer in 6:48.51.

The medal race was scheduled to begin at 4.35pm, but was postponed due to adverse weather.

Hyde and Cremen impressed as they won their semi-final on Wednesday, coming in ahead of Italy and Poland. 

Written by Sinead Farrell and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.