Rowing
It was a successful start for the Irish rowers on day one of competition at the Olympic Games with both men’s and women’s double sculls crews progressing directly into their respective semi-finals. The rain came down at Vaires-sur-Marne, but with good water conditions, there was nothing holding back the two crews from Team Ireland.
The men’s double of Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch set the tone on a positive note, finishing with a comfortable win in the last of the three heats. The top three crews gained direct qualification into the semi-finals, meaning Doyle and Lynch have now bypassed Sunday morning’s repechage.
Through the first 500-metre mark, Ireland sat in third position but from this point they stayed the fastest crew on the water, moving up through the field as the race unfolded. They now head into Tuesday mornings semi-finals with the fastest time out of three heats obtaining a more favourable lane draw as a result.
Olympic debutants, Fermoy’s Alison Bergin and Killorglin’s Zoe Hyde, also advanced directly into the women’s double semi-finals after a third-place finish in their heat.
Gymnastics
Ireland’s two-time world champion Rhys McClenaghan not only qualified for the pommel final but topped the qualifying with a score of 15.200 points after an impeccable routine at the Bercy Arena.
McCleneghan make more history as the first Irish gymnast to reach a second Olympic final but his score, based on a degree of difficulty of 6.3 and an execution score of 8.9, ranked him top of the eight men who will contest the final next Saturday.
Rugby Sevens
Ireland finished in sixth place in the men’s rugby Sevens after they went down for a second time in the tournament to New Zealand, the All Blacks winning the 5th-place playoff decider 17-7 at the Stade de France.
In the semi-final Ireland secured a stunning 17-14 win over the United States thanks to late tries from Zac Ward and Terry Kennedy at the Stade de France.
After taking an early lead through Hugo Lennox’s try and conversion, Ireland went 7-14 down midway through the second half through converted US tries from Aaron Cummings and Perry Baker.
But Ireland finished off brilliantly with Ward, arguably Ireland’s best player at these Olympic Games, and finisher-supreme Kennedy going over for the late tries. Indeed Kennedy’s score came in added time as he dragged US player Marcus Tupuola over the line with him to set off wild celebrations among the Irish fans at a packed Stade de France.
But the biggest cheer of the night was saved for the men’s gold-medal match as hosts France, led superbly by Antoine Dupont, ended double Olympic champions Fiji’s 17-match unbeaten run in the Games, winning the final 28-7.
Dupont scored two tries after coming off the bench, including the final score when he came off the back of a maul to dive over. He also set up a try.
Boxing
A tough first round was just enough to knock Dean Clancy out after a bruising bout against Obada Al-Kasbeh ended in a split decision in favour of the Jordanian.
With four judges going with Al-Kasbeh after the first three minutes, the 22-year-old Irish boxer left himself a mountain to climb against the more experienced fighter, finally falling 3-2, with the final score 27-29, 28-28, 29-27, 28-28, 27-29.
Badminton
Nhat Nguyen secured a hard fought 2-1 win over of his Israeli opponent in the opening Group P Match at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
Dubliner Nguyen, competing at his second Olympic Games, won the first game against Misha Zilberman 21-17. Zilberman then took the second game 21-19. The deciding game saw the 24-year-old show great composure to close out the match 21-13.
Nguyen returns to action on Monday to face 172 ranked Prince Dehal of Nepal who lost 2-0 earlier Saturday to World number 2 Viktor Den Axelson of Denmark.
Cycling
Ireland’s Ryan Mullen battled brutal conditions to finish 12th in the Olympic time trial, the course made treacherous by the rain that has dogged the opening of the Games.
Remco Evenepoel won the gold medal for Belgium six days on from finishing third in the Tour de France. His team-mate Wout van Aert took bronze.
Mullen, in his first Olympics, was in the hot seat for 88 seconds as the fastest finisher before the more experienced time trialists took to the course.
Remarking on the conditions, Mullen said: “Between the drains and the corners and the cobbles, they f***ing threw everything at us.”
Hockey
Despite a battling defensive performance, Ireland men’s hockey opened their Paris 2024 campaign with a 2-0 defeat to defending Olympic champions Belgium at historic Yves-du-Manoir Stadium; the original site of the 1924 Olympic stadium.
The Irish side; captained by Seán Murray, returned to the Olympic stage for the first time since Rio 2016 and produced a determined display against the world’s third-ranked side, but Belgium’s superior possession and territory eventually told on the scoreboard, as Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx notched goals in the second and third quarters.
Swimming
Swimming got under way at Paris Le Défense Arena with Ellen Walshe and Ireland Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay diving into action on the opening morning. In the 100m butterfly, Ellen Walshe, competing in her second Olympic Games, clocked 58.70 for sixth place in her heat.
Erin Riordan, Victoria Catterson and Grace Davison, making their Olympic debuts, joined Tokyo Olympian Danielle Hill in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay; Ireland’s first female relay at a Games since Munich 1972. The quartet were just outside the Irish record of 3:41.75 in 3:42.67, for eighth in their heat, after a great battle with Hong Kong in the next lane who touched just ahead in 3:42.42.
Equestrian
Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M began Ireland’s Team Eventing competition with a dressage score of 38.0 at the Palace of Versailles. Fourth into the arena, Ennis looked to be on her way to a score in the low to mid 30s before the 10-year-old mare, competing at her first Olympics, made a slight error in front of the big screen.
It means that the combination will have work to do in Sunday’s cross-country to make up ground from 54th position in advance of Monday’s show jumping.
Ireland’s second eventing rider Susie Berry was very satisfied with her dressage test, scoring 33.0 for 32nd position on Wellfields Lincoln. The 28-year-old from Banbridge eventer is making her Olympic debut.
Berry said: “It’s a surreal experience but I’m thrilled with him – he can be a spooky horse but he felt quite alert today. It was like he knew there was something different about today. His trot work felt beautiful in there and maybe in his canter he felt a little tense through his back so we maybe lost a few moves that would ordinarily come naturally to him.”
The final Irish eventer in action, Austin O’Connor, came home with 31.7 points and sits in 28th position in the standings. Great Britain’s Laura Collett, winner of team eventing golf in Tokyo, leads the way after the dressage with a score of 17.5, ahead of three-time Olympic golf medallist, Germany’s Michael Jung, on 17.8.
Canoeing
Liam Jegou recovered from a poor first run to battle his way into Monday’s semi-finals in the 16th and final slot.
“It was probably the hardest day I’ve had on the water in my life,” he told RTÉ after his second run.
There was disappointment for Madison Corcoran in the women’s kayak (K1) as the 21-year-old missed out on the semi-finals.
