OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS PAUL O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy breezed into the A/B semi-finals of the men’s lightweight double sculls at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade this afternoon.

The West Cork duo cruised through their quarter-final, moving ahead of Italians Stefano Oppo and Gabriel Soares after the half-way mark to win by more than three seconds in 6:46.53.

O’Donovan and McCarthy know that a top-three placing in Thursday’s semi-final will be enough to clinch qualification for the Paris Olympics next year.

But there was a major shock elsewhere in the lightweight double sculls as France’s Hugo Beurey and Ferdinand Ludwig — who beat the Irish duo at World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne in July — finished fifth, and now must try to salvage qualification for their home games at the final qualifying regatta next May.

Fermanagh duo Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan qualified for the A/B semi-finals of the men’s pair with a second-placed finish in their quarter.

Timoney and Corrigan need a top-11 finish at the Worlds to qualify their boat for Paris.

In the men’s double sculls, Lisburn’s Phil Doyle and Tipperary’s Daire Lynch also reached their A/B semi after a second-placed finish in their quarter-final.

In the lightweight men’s scull quarter-finals, Jake McCarthy finished fifth and will return to the water on Thursday for the C/D semi-final.