As the Games begin, optimism is undeniably high. Ireland head to France with the largest team we’ve ever brought to an Olympics – 133 competitors across 14 sports.
Ireland’s best medal haul (six in total) came at London 2012, when Katie Taylor (gold), John Joe Nevin (silver), Paddy Barnes (bronze) and Michael Conlan (bronze) delivered in the boxing ring, with Cian O’Connor (equestrian bronze) and Rob Heffernan (50km walk bronze) also making the podium.
This time around Team Ireland looks equipped to beat that record.
We take a look at the Irishmen and women who arrive in Paris with particularly strong hopes.
Rhys McClenaghan
(Pommel horse)
Still only 25, McCleneghan boasts a sparkling CV: two World Championship golds, three European golds and a Commonwealth Games gold. There’s one obvious omission from that honours list and make no mistake, the Newtownards man is in Paris to put it right. McCleneghan is unapologetically going for gold. In Tokyo he came off the apparatus early in his final routine to eventually finish seventh – a gut-wrenching slice of bad fortune. Gold in France would be sweet redemption.
Daniel Wiffen
(Swimming 800m freestyle & 1500m freestyle)
A serious contender in the pool, Wiffen will go in the 1500m, 800m and 10km open-water swim. He made Irish swimming history at the World Aquatics Championships in February when he won golds in both the 800m and the 1500m freestyle. Wiffen has since said he wasn’t 100% happy wih elements of his technique, and promised we will see “a new Daniel Wiffen in Paris”. That’s a tantalising prospect.
Rhasidat Adeleke
(Women’s 400m)
Already a star, Adeleke’s profile could go into another orbit over the next fortnight. The form lines are encouraging, given she clocked a PB of 49.07 when taking 400m silver at the Europeans in June. Only Nickisha Pryce, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Natalia Kaczmarek have dipped under 49 seconds this year so Adeleke should be in the shake-up. She was also a massive part of Ireland’s European gold triumph in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the women’s 4x400m relay. Adeleke’s presence in the relay teams would obviously majorly boost medal hopes but it remains to be seen if she elects to conserve her energy and focus solely on the 400m.
Ciara Mageean
(Women’s 1500m)
That glorious gold at the Europeans in Rome ramped up the hype around Mageean’s Olympic prospects. Earlier this month, the Portaferry woman was 10th at the Wanda Diamond League fixture in Paris. That performance cooled expectations a little, and certainly she’ll be up against it in an immensely competitive event. Still, the 32-year-old has been working towards an early-August peak when the heats begin, and she’s proven before she has the nous and grit to squeeze into the medal positions.
Kellie Harrington
(Boxing women’s 60kg)
The reigning European Games champion, and an Olympic gold medallist three years ago, Harrington looks to be in good shape heading to Paris. The Dubliner has said this will be her last competition as a fighter so a triumphant swansong would be a sweet way to exit. No Irish athlete has successfully defended their Olympic gold since Dr Pat O’Callaghan conquered the hammer throw in 1928 and 1932. This is an opportunity for Harrington to etch herself deeper into the history books.
Daina Moorehouse
(Boxing women’s 50kg)
Moorehouse turned on the style when it mattered most to seal a ticket to the Games. The Enniskerry fighter was too good for Zlatislava Genadieva Chukanova of Bulgaria at June’s Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament in Bangkok. Barely five feet tall, Moorehouse’s quick hands and light feet make her a great watch. The 22-year-old could come in under the radar to become one of Ireland’s breakout stars.
Aoife O’Rourke
(Boxing women’s 75kg)
The pride of Castlerea heads to her second Olympics with real momentum. O’Rourke has won golds at the last three European Championships. Since making her Games debut in Tokyo, where she lost to China’s Qian Li in the last 16, the Roscommon woman has an incredible record of 27-1. The one loss came against Naomi Graham of the USA in the 2022 World Championships, and Graham has not made it to Paris. Watch this space.
Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy
(Rowing men’s lightweight double sculls)
Paul O’Donovan could become the first Irish athlete to win medals in three successive Olympic Games. He won silver with his brother Gary in Rio 2016, and gold with fellow Skibbereen man Fintan McCarthy in Tokyo. The immense pairing of O’Donovan and McCarthy has also delivered two world titles and they will take some stopping in Paris. “If you define your life by achieving your goals, my life would be fairly miserable,” a typically understated O’Donovan said this week. “I love racing and competing, training day to day and having a bit of a laugh with the lads, making memories along the way.” He won’t admit it, but O’Donovan will surely expect to have another golden memory banked in France.
Daire Lynch and Philip Doyle
(Rowing men’s double sculls)
The pair teamed up in 2023 and finished fourth at the Europeans before claiming bronze at the Worlds. That result qualified the boat for Paris and they continued to build momentum in the subsequent months. Lynch and Doyle most recently took gold at a World Cup regatta in June, beating defending Olympic champions France. Their primary focus is on making the A final – but if they do that, there’s a quiet confidence a top-three finish is achievable. “If we get ourselves to that race, then I’d back us on the day,” said Doyle.
Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh
(Rowing women’s pair)
Keogh and Murtagh won bronze in the coxless four in Tokyo alongside Emily Hegarty and Eimear Lambe, so they’ve had a taste of Olympic success. This of course is a very different challenge, one that’s taken some getting used to. By their own admission, Keogh and Murtagh have had to work very hard to adjust to the slower pace of the pair’s race, but two silver medals and a bronze at World Cup events this year offer evidence of the Galway duo’s improvement. The experienced performers have the ability to make a big impact this month.
Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow
(Men’s and women’s golf tournaments)
Lowry ran out of gas at the Open Championship; McIlroy combusted at the US Open. This represents a chance to soothe frustrations, particularly for McIlroy, who really needs a morale-boosting victory. The Le Golf Nationale course should suit the Holywood man too. In Tokyo, he finished tied for fifth, just one shot shy of a bronze medal. Lowry will also be highly motivated to do well. He said after his sixth-placed finish at the Open: “I’d love to win a medal. Obviously I’d want it to be gold, but I’d probably take either three.” Maguire recently became the first Irish player to win a Ladies European Tour event after a fantastic victory at the Aramco Team Series. She’s heading to her third Olympics, as is Meadow. It’s a quality quartet that will be worth keeping a close eye on.
Shane Sweetnam, Daniel Coyle and Cian O’Connor
(Showjumping)
Off the back of a superb win in the five-star Aachen Nations Cup, Ireland’s showjumpers will definitely be fancied to get among the medals. O’Connor – an Olympic medallist at London 2012 – is heading for his fourth Olympic Games. The alternate Bertram Allen will not be there after his horse Pacino Amiro picked up an injury, but the pedigree and experience still present makes Ireland the ones to beat.
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