{
  "id": 3509549,
  "title": "McCarthy and Murtagh safely through to rowing semis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/mccarthy-and-murtagh-safely-through-to-rowing-semis",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T12:40:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/sport/rowing/2026/0826/1589316-mccarthy-and-murtagh-safely-through-to-rowing-semis/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On the third day of the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, Fintan McCarthy and Fiona Murtagh advanced to the semi-finals of their respective single sculls events. McCarthy, who has claimed five world medals in the double sculls, finished second in his heat with a time of 7:20.69, trailing heat winner Samuel Melvin by four seconds. The Skibbereen clubman, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, has earned one of the automatic spots in Saturday's semi-finals. Fiona Murtagh, the reigning gold medallist in the women's single sculls, also secured a berthing in the semi-finals. In heat 5, she posted a time of 8:01.18, finishing just behind Paige Badenhorst from South Africa. Fiona Murtagh, who took home a silver medal in the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne earlier this summer, will join McCarthy in the semi-final races on Saturday.",
  "summary": "Day three at the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam saw Fintan McCarthy and Fiona Murtagh secure their semi-finals spots in their respective single sculls events.",
  "key_points": [
    "Fintan McCarthy and Fiona Murtagh advance to rowing semis",
    "McCarthy: 7:20.69, Melvin: 7:24.69",
    "Murtagh: 8:01.18, Badenhorst: 8:05.23"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}