The 2024 Olympics have ended with Team Ireland winning a record 7 medals, split with 4 gold medals and 3 bronze medals. Our medal winners were Daniel Wiffin winning Gold and Bronze in the pool, Mona Mc Sharry won Bronze, Paul O Donovan and Fintan Mc Carthy won Gold in rowing, Rhys Mc Clenaghan won Gold in the pummel horse final. Phillip Doyle and Darragh Lynch won Bronze in rowing. Kellie Harrington doubled up winning Gold in boxing and defending the crown she won in Tokyo in 2021.
Other Team Ireland members like the women’s 4×400 were 4th in an Olympic Final and there time would have been good enough to win medals at every Olympics barring 1988. That fact will cut little ice with the team of course but the achievements of making the Final last Friday cannot be understated.
Rhisdat Adeleke was also 4th in the 400m women’s final, so on the track it was an extremely successful time although there was no medal on this occasion, the future does look bright for athletics in Ireland. Sarah Lavin advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles but bowed out at that point but can be so proud of her efforts in the Stade De France.
Team Ireland had countless strong finishes in many sports from rugby 7s through to canoeing. Like always the talk has now moved onto what can be done with more investment in facilities around Ireland to help many sports kick on from the strong finishes at Paris 2024.
For the athletes involved I am sure it will be now be time with family and refection on what has been achieved over the past few weeks as well as over the last few years.
We have managed our best medal haul at the modern olympics. Irish medals at Olympics are a scarce commodity so each one as I mentioned last week should be applauded and treasured. They are hard won and to have a few athletes over the past two Olympics back up their efforts from 2021 at Paris 2024 is special namely Kellie Harrington, Paul O Donovan and Fintan Mc Carthy.
The welcome today for the majority of Team Ireland at Dublin Airport was special and well deserved and then of course onto O Connell St for the official welcome home. The past few weeks has seen us all become experts in a range of sports from the 100m to Speed Climbing to name a few.
It takes a special type of person to become a Olympian and then to medal in their chosen sport is another step entirely. Let’s hope the talk of more investment in coaching and facilities isn’t just idle talk and LA 2028 can be as successful if not more successful than Paris 2024.
Some organisations have to get around the table and see where they want their chosen sport to go into the future.
The talk from government about investment needs to see it put into practice and not be sitting here after another World Championship, European Championship or LA 2028 and be talking of the same issues. The time to act is now and we owe it to current athletes as well as the future athletes to act now rather than sit on our hands and make false promises.
We have seen what constant investment has done for other sports so let’s see some action over the coming months from the all parties that have a vested interest in the direction of Olympic sport here at home.
Huge congratulations to all of Team Ireland on their showings at Paris 2024 including of course our medallists. Well done too to the backroom teams of coaches, administrators, medical staff and anyone else involved with Team Ireland at Paris 2024.
The Paralympics will take place later in August and will I am sure garner similar degrees of interest from the Irish public….