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Day one of Paris 2024 is set to be a bumper one for Team Ireland as athletes from no less than ten sports will get their Olympic campaigns underway; Eventing (Dressage), Hockey, Swimming, Rowing, Canoe Slalom, Road Cycling, Boxing, Badminton, Gymnastics, and the Men’s Rugby Sevens team return to the pitch.
Equestrian
The Irish Eventing team will be the first into the fray with the dressage phase after all horses passed veterinary inspections this morning. First into the arena will be Sarah Ennis with Action Lady M (8.48am Irish time) followed later in the morning by Susie Berry with Wellfields Lincoln at (11.42am Irish time).
The last of the Irish to compete on day one will be Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue, later in the day (3.51pm Irish time). The team come into the Games off the back of some excellent results, winning the home Nations Cup in Millstreet earlier in the campaign, before a third-place finish at Aachen most recently.
Hockey
The Men’s Hockey team, under head coach Mark Tumilty, will face the current Olympic champions Belgium (#3) in their Pool B opener on Saturday morning at 9.30am Irish time. The Irish team is currently ranked #11 in the world.
There are 12 teams at these Games split into two pools with the top four in each going to the quarter-finals. Australia(#4), India (#7), Argentina (#6), and New Zealand (#10)make up the rest of Pool B, and the games are being played in the historic Stade Yves-du-Manoir; the original site of the 1924 Olympic stadium.
Swimming
Dubliner Ellen Walshe (100m Butterfly), and Ireland’s 400m Freestyle Relay team of Danielle Hill, Erin Riordan, Grace Davison and Victoria Catterson will get swimming underway for Team Ireland at Le Defense on Saturday morning.
Walshe, competing at her second Olympics, is ranked 24th in 58.07 with her Irish Record standing at 57.96; the top sixteen advance to Saturday evening’s semi-finals. Hill, also competing at her second Games, will be joined by three Olympic debutants in Riordan, Catterson and Ireland’s youngest team member 16-year-old Davison in the 400m Freestyle Relay; Ireland’s first female relay to compete since 1972. The team enter ranked in sixteenth place with the top eight progressing to Saturday’s Final.
Rowing
Two of Ireland’s seven boats at these Games will take to the water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical stadium in the morning. Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch race in the final heat of the men’s double sculls (M2x) with the top three across the line advancing to the semi-finals, and the remainder to the repechage.
Afterwards women’s double sculls (W2x) pairing of Zoe Hyde and Alison Bergin contest the second of three heats with the same progression route. Of the four Doyle is he only one to have competed at this level before (in Tokyo), the other three are all making their Olympic debuts in Paris.
Men’s Rugby Sevens
Following their heart-breaking loss to Fiji in the quarter-finals the Men’s Rugby Sevens team return to the Stade de France tomorrow in the 5-8 placings matches. They will face USA at 2pm Irish time and if they are to win they will advance to contest for fifth place against the winner of New Zealand and Argentina.
Canoe Slalom
Two of Team Ireland’s four strong Canoe Slalom team will contest the heats of their events at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium tomorrow afternoon.
Competing in his second Olympics Liam Jegou will go at 2pm in the C1, with Olympic debutant Madison Corcoran an hour later at 3pm in the K1. Competitors get two runs in these qualification rounds and are ranked based on their best run. The top 18 (K1), and top 15 (C1) advance to a one run semi-final.
Road Cycling
Nine-time Irish national champion Ryan Mullen is set to make his Olympic debut tomorrow in the 32.4km Men’s Individual Time Trial as the Road cycling events get underway. The time trial will have 35 riders and starts at Esplanade des Invalides and finishes on the Pont Alexandre III Bridge.
Boxing
After a number of the Irish team received byes in yesterday’s draw Sligo lightweight (63.5kg) Dean Clancy will be the sole Irish boxer to grace the ring at the North Paris Arena at 4.22pm tomorrow. Clancy, who boxes out of the Sean McDermott club in Manorhamilton, will face Alkasbeh of Jordan in the preliminary round.
Badminton
Dubliner Nhat Nyguen gets the badminton campaign underway for the Irish when he steps onto the court against Misha Zilberman of Israel in the pool stage of the men’s singles after 8pm tomorrow night.
Nyguen is competing in his second Olympics has a world ranking of #43 while Zilberam currently sits at #59. The badminton competition will be staged at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
Gymnastics
Reigning World and European champion Rhys McCleneghan will have to wait until 8.20pm Irish time for the qualification round on the Pommel Horse in the Bercy Arena. Individuals who specialise on only one apparatus feature across all events, but especially on Pommel Horse.
96 men compete in Artistic Gymnastics but only those Pommel specialists, or those who are competing in the team or individual all-around competitions will take part in Pommel qualifying; 70 took part in Tokyo so a similar number can be expected. Just eight individuals qualifying for each apparatus final.
Photos Sportsfile