Day 4: Daniel Wiffen’s First Olympic Medal Attempt

On the agenda for Day 4 (please bear in mind all listed times are in Irish, with Paris one hour ahead):

The morning commences with the semi-final 1 of 2 for Women’s Double Sculls (W2-) Rowing at 9.50 am with Zoe Hyde & Alison Bergin competing. Only the foremost three will advance to the final.

Following that at 10.20 am, is the semi-final 2 of 2 for Men’s Double Sculls (M2x) Rowing with Philip Doyle & Daire Lynch in the fray. Similarly, only the top three will proceed to the final.

At 10.30 am, there is the Women’s Four (W4-) repechage in Rowing featuring Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe & Imogen Magner. Only the leading duo will move on to the final.

Then the Women’s 54kg Boxing Round of 16 sees an 11.36 am face-off between Jenny Lehane and Yuan Chang (CHN).

The afternoon sees Men’s Pool B Hockey at 12.15 pm with Ireland vs India.

Individual Dressage Grand Prix qualifying round in Equestrian has Abigail Lyle at 1.38 pm.

The Women’s C1 1st run in Canoe Slalom with Michaela Corcoran starts at 2.00 pm in parallel with the Women’s Rugby Sevens 5-8 placings match, Ireland against France.

Women’s Rugby Sevens final placing match is TBC but is slated for between 5.00-5.30 pm.

There is another 1st run in Canoe Slalom but Men’s K1 with Noel Hendrick at 3.00 pm. At 3.35 pm, Men’s Skiff Race 7 in Sailing will see Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove in action.

At 4.10 pm, Michaela Corcoran will be back for the Women’s C1 2nd run in Canoe Slalom.

Right after, at 4.27 pm, Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove will race in Men’s Skiff Race 8.

Badminton Women’s Singles match with Rachael Darragh vs Jenjira Stadelmann (SUI) is scheduled for 4.30 pm or later.

Noel Hendrick will have his Men’s K1 2nd run in Canoe Slalom at 5.10 pm followed by the Sailing Men’s Skiff Race 9 with Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove at 5.19 pm.

Finally, the day culminates with Men’s 800m freestyle Swimming final with Daniel Wiffen at 8.02 pm.

Currently, Simone Biles is performing phenomenally for Team USA in women’s team gymnastics. The US team also had a win in the Rugby Sevens, coming in third after thrashing Australia in the match for the bronze medal. Against expectations, Australia, having defeated Ireland, managed to lose to both Canada and the US, thus not acquiring any medals.

In men’s kayak single heats for Canoe slalom/kayaking, 26-year-old Noel Hendrick landed a spot in the semi-finals to be held on Thursday, coming in 19th after two runs. He successfully decreased his time from 98.64 in the first round to 90.68 in the second.

Earlier on, Michaela Corcoran scored a time of 129.55 in her first run and a time of 168.08 in her second run for women’s slalom C1, placing her 21st.

In women’s Rugby Sevens, Ireland lost to Great Britain with a score of 28-12, thus concluding at the eighth place in the tournament.

Onto individual performances, Stadelmann managed to triumph by securing five continuous points, despite Darragh’s sloppy errors leading to a score of 20-15. She maintained her lead and concluded with a score of 21-15, defeating Darragh, who had appeared to have a string of opportunities.

Prior to this, the contest was neck-to-neck with scores of 15-15 and 10-10, which led to a thrilling turn of events. Darragh had held the lead at 8-5, but it was reduced to 8-7, although he managed to stay ahead at 9-7 with skilled gameplay.

The deciding game saw Darragh taking an early lead at 5-3, but Stadelmann bounced back with the score levelling at 5-5. A fantastic rally took place with the scores tied at 21-21 when Darragh sneaked in a high lob, taking him ahead at 22-21. However, Stadelmann swung back by winning the subsequent couple points resulting in a score of 23-22, going back to game point. Concluding the game in her favour at 24-22, the Swiss player made it one each in the best of three games.

In British English, here’s the latest on sports. In a thrilling badminton match, Rachael Darragh, despite trailing for a majority of the second set, managed to pull level with Jenjira Stadelmann of Switzerland at 16-all. The scoreline seesawed from there, with Darragh falling behind 18-16, rallying to 18-18, slipping to 19-18 and then restoring parity at 19-19.

David Gorman has now taken charge of this blog and will continue to bring you updates on all the Irish sporting events in the pipeline, which include the Canoe Slalom, Rugby Sevens and Badminton. He will also keep you abreast with any updates from Daniel Wiffen’s medal race later today.

Turning to sailing, Robert Dickson, and Seán Waddilove are keeping their strong showing intact in the Olympic men’s Skiff class. With a fourth position in race seven, a 13th place finish in race eight, and a ninth spot in the final race of the day, they retain their second position overall.

In a riveting sequence of rugby events, Canada stormed into the gold-medal match in the Olympic Women’s Sevens with a spectacular 21-12 victory over Australia. The Canadian team, ranking fifth, had scorers Charity Williams, Asia Hogan-Rochester, and Piper Logan to thank for this astounding feat. In the other semi-final match, the United States fell to New Zealand 24-12. As for Ireland, they are up against GB for the seventh and eighth places, having lost to France earlier in the day with a final score of 19-7.

The day will wrap up with the equestrian event.

Abigail Lyle made her first appearance at the Olympics in the individual dressage Grand Prix, riding Giraldo. The event was held at the scenic Palace of Versailles. Despite a commendable score of 69.441, which placed her sixth in her group, Lyle was unable to advance to the individual finals.

Lyle and Giraldo, affectionately dubbed ‘Arty’, executed their routine almost flawlessly, resulting in a sixth place finish in Group B. Even though this performance was not sufficient for the rider from Bangor to make it to finals on Sunday, Lyle was extremely pleased with their performance.

According to Lyle, she wanted a contented, well-performing horse that would make himself proud and could be cared for throughout his life. The unexpected experience of showcasing an outstanding ride in an imposing arena was beyond her comprehension. Both Lyle and her horse, Arty, seemed to be in a unique zone of comfort. She confessed to feeling overwhelmed and nervous at times. Still, she was grateful for owning an extraordinary horse and having an amazing team.

The turnout of the event was as per her expectations except for one small hiccup. However, she expressed her delight in the central component of the test.

Team Ireland’s morning roundup revealed impressive performances in other areas.

Rowing

Philip Doyle from Belfast and Daire Lynch from Clonmel have advanced to the men’s double (M2x) final utilizing their semi-final. With a time of 6:13.14, Ireland will enter the final as top seeds.

Lynch acknowledged that although they sensed they were in a favourable position, they couldn’t accurately predict the performance of other countries. Schwarz expressed that he and his partner had not won a single race until last year’s world championships, suggesting their timing was improving. He seemed hopeful, with their best training block just passed, that this positive experience would come to the final.

Doyle stated: “The way the competition unfolded was exactly as we had predicted; we achieved our objectives and executed our strategies efficiently. We were fully aware that some competitors would start intensely and exhaust themselves. If they lose focus and act recklessly, they will pay the price later on. Hence, we have to ensure that our strategies compel them to bear the consequences. However, we must be cautious as the six leading contenders in the finals may not exhaust themselves. Thus, we must maintain a balance and strategise our plan subsequently.”

On Thursday morning, Doyle and Lynch are all set to participate in the highly anticipated main event, where they will be competing against the incumbent world champions: Netherlands, Spain, Romania, New Zealand, and the United States, in a battle for the medals.

The Women’s Double sculling team (W2x) of Zoe Hyde and Alison Bergin unfortunately didn’t make it to the medal race as they were unable to secure a place among the top three in today’s semi-final. Having finished fifth, they now proceed to the B Final where they are due to compete for positions from 7th to 12th.

After the race, a disheartened Bergin commented: “We have been training relentlessly for this moment, taking one race at a time. We are obviously disappointed. However, we are eager to participate in the upcoming race. We plan to reevaluate our performance, analyse the race in detail, and devise a new strategy for the subsequent day.”

Similarly, the Women’s Four team consisting of Emily Hegarty, Natalie Long, Eimear Lambe, and Imogen Magner narrowly missed out on a spot in the final as they ended up fourth in the repechage. Since only two boats destined to qualify for the finals, Ireland is now due to race for their final positioning (7-12) on Thursday.

In the boxing ring, Jennifer Lehane from Meath faced a greatly skilled Chinese contender during her first Olympic 54kg match. She inevitably lost to Yuan Chang 5-0 in the last 16. Despite the loss, the Ashbourne native, who shifted to boxing at the international level just a few seasons ago from elite Taekwondo, insists that this experience will only spur her to strive harder.

The 25-year-old admitted that her opponent, Chang, outperformed her in the match, despite her putting up a good fight. Chang’s extraordinary speed of fists won her each round, leading to a 5:0 victory on the judges’ scorecards. However, the Irish contender didn’t give up, fighting fiercely till the last bell, while the travelling spectators cheered her on.

Describing the event as an unbelievable experience, she expressed her gratitude for the unique opportunity of playing before such a large audience in an impressive venue. Her family and the inhabitants of Ashbourne, her hometown, were among the spectators. Additionally, students from St Mary’s School, where she was once employed, were present to support her. She hopes her journey will inspire others to pursue their ambitions.

Lehane had previously put a pause on her career as a primary school teacher to train full time with Ireland’s top fighters. She revealed her potential future plan of carrying on her training, interspersed with substitute teaching.

Meanwhile, in men’s hockey, Ireland experienced a 2-0 loss to India. Harmanpreet Singh secured a first-half brace, providing India with an early lead. Ireland had various scoring chances, however, the team ranked fifth worldwide maintained their dominance, securing a win. The Irish team will be playing against Argentina and New Zealand later this week following a rest day.

In the Men’s Kayak event, Noel Hendrik stands third after the initial eight competitors in the first run, after incurring a 10-point penalty for hitting five gates. His second run is scheduled for later this evening.

In women’s rugby, the Olympic champions, New Zealand defeated USA 24-12 in the semi-final, advancing to one match near to upholding their title.

SAILING: The men’s Skiff class of the Olympic regatta saw the exceptional performance of Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove who finished fourth in race seven, the day’s first race among three. The Irish team currently holds a second place standing overall.

RUGBY: The Women’s Sevens semi-final ended with New Zealand taking a narrow victory over the USA with a score of 7-5.

RUGBY: The face-off between France and Ireland closed with France’s win: 19-7. Ireland, leading 7-0 at half-time with an impressive try from Eve Higgins, couldn’t hold their ground when the host team scored three tries in the second half. They’re now positioned to vie for seventh and eighth places tonight against Great Britain, who gave them a beating in the tournament opener.

RUGBY: France then took the lead again, 14-7 against Ireland, with mere two minutes left in the game.

RUGBY: With four minutes to spare, France equaled Ireland with a converted try; the score being 7-7.

The match between Ireland and India ended, full-time score: 2-0 in favour of India. Ireland regretted their lackluster performance in the first half, having failed to convert any of the 10 penalty corners in the second half, despite improvements. Mark Tumilty’s team play their concluding matches on the coming Thursday and Friday.

RUGBY: At half-time, the Irish women’s Sevens were leading forcefully 7-0 against France, thanks to Eve Higgins of Railway Union who not only scored a try but also conversion, continuing her high-scoring streak against Australia. Regardless, Ireland lost to Australia again in the quarter-final, and are now contending for a spot in the fifth and sixth team playoff.

The Canoe Slalom featured an eventful first run by 21-year-old Michaela Corcoran – she hit five gates, each mistake costing a two-second penalty. 18 out of 21 will make it to the semi-finals.

Hockey: The Irish team showed marked improvement in the second half but struggled to find the net. The end of the third quarter saw India leading, again, 2-0.

Hockey: A splendid opportunity for Ireland to decrease the gap was missed when Ben Walker shot wide, while his teammate John McKee was free and merely a tap-in away, only if Walker had noticed him.

Hockey: At the 44-minute mark, India is leading Ireland with a score of 2-0. A significant shot by Lee Cole is the first notable action from the Irish side but they remain unable to add points to the scoreboard, despite being awarded two penalties. However, it’s a much-improved performance from Ireland going into the third quarter.

In Swimming news, Siobhán Haughey, a relative of the previous Irish Prime Minister Charlie Haughey, has made history by achieving a third medal, this time bronze in the women’s 200 metre freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This makes her the only Olympic athlete from Hong Kong to accomplish this feat. Michael Martin, Irish deputy prime minister expressed his delight on Twitter, labelling it a proud day for the Haughey family and a tremendous outcome.

In the Hockey game, it’s the half-time break and India maintains their lead over Ireland, 2-0. Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian captain, has scored twice, the second occuring after a deflection off Ben Walker of Ireland, during a third penalty corner. Stade Yves du Manoir is drenched in heat, further compounding the difficulty for the Irish team, who need to step up their game.

Mark Tumilty, the Irish team coach, encourages his team to take a more aggressive approach, emphasising their duties as representatives of their nation. He also stresses the need to up their energy, discipline, and pursuit of the opponents, highlighting an improvement in their performance in the last seven minutes of the quarter.

It’s the end of the first quarter in the Hockey match and Ireland trails India 1-0. At the 11th minute, Ireland are penalised and Harmanpreet Singh from India fulfils the role of scorer. The Indians are offering a highly competitive match.

Just seven minutes into the Hockey game, India are dominating. Ireland are struggling to break free from their own half and are giving away numerous free positions in the process. The match is against India, the Olympic third-place winners from Tokyo.
In other sports updates, boxing events are also ongoing.

Lehane expressed satisfaction in her performance through the first two rounds of the fight, with the second round standing out as her best. However, she acknowledged the superior experience of her Chinese opponent. Still early in her career, the young boxer expressed optimism for her future, expressing gratefulness for her unwavering supporters and hoping to inspire others to chase their dreams.

Yuan Chang consistently held the advantage, unleashing a series of heavy blows and demonstrating her skills in the ring. Although Lehane fought bravely, it was clear she was up against a more seasoned boxer. Chang was declared the winner.

Lehane appeared more composed in the second round, showing excellent footwork and improving her punches. However, Chang managed to land the stronger hits. All five judges were in favor of the Chinese competitor.

In the first round, all five judges agreed that Ireland’s Jennifer Lehane was underperforming. Yuan Chang outmaneuvered the Irish fighter early on in the match due to her superior reach. Her experience in the ring allowed her to control the round.

The event began with Jennifer Lehane entering the ring. Awaiting her match, there was an interesting graphic narration of an Irish swimmer, Ellen Walshe’s race.

Irish schoolteacher and 54kg division boxer, Jennifer Lehane moved up to the last 16 bracket after getting a bye. She was scheduled to confront Yuan Chang, China’s two-time Asian Games champion also competing in the 54kg division.

In separate news, Denis Walsh, our correspondent at the rowing event, reported notable activities. A strong performance led Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch to the final of the men’s double sculls, outperforming both the US and New Zealand’s crews. However, Zoe Hyde and Alison Bergin placed fifth in the women’s double sculls semi-finals, and the women’s four team finished fourth in their repechage.

The Irish quartet of Emily Hegarty, Eimear Lambe, Natalie Long and Imogen Magner came in fourth in the repechage race, not even reaching the Olympic final despite leading in third position for much of the contest. They were surpassed by the Danes in the last 50 metres of the race, much to their disappointment. The two leading crews were the Americans and the Chinese.
This crew was positioned in third place following 1,000 meters of the race. The Irish female squad had started the repechage race in hopes of securing a position in the top two, thus guaranteeing them a spot in the Olympic final.

Meanwhile, the men’s double sculls event saw Ireland’s Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch showcasing a remarkable rowing performance that secured their position in the Olympic final. The duo held their lead for 1,500 metres but were in third place after the first 500 metres. Their semi-final was a race well rowed.

On the flip side, the Irish women’s Rugby Sevens team faced France in the first of two matches with the fifth to eighth positions at stake, having suffered a quarter-final loss the night before. With Captain Lucy Rock out earlier in the tournament, the squad might experience further depletion as Béibhinn Parsons hurt her leg during the match against Australia. Allan Temple-Jones would have his squad face the French side later in the afternoon.

In regards to the men’s double sculls semi-final, the Irish pair were set to compete shortly, having showcased impressive performances in their initial rounds. This marks the second Olympic appearance for Philip.

Rowing: The women’s double sculls race saw Zoe Hyde from Tralee and Alison Bergin from Fermoy finish in fifth place. The Irish boat failed to pose a real threat throughout the race after gradually falling behind in the second 500 metres. The race was won by New Zealand, with Netherlands and France securing the second and third places respectively. Quentinly, the Irish team finished fourth at the world championships last year, and were ahead of New Zealand and the French team, though the latter had a different pairing.

At the halfway point in the first 500 metres of the women’s double sculls race, Hyde and Bergin maintained a consistent fifth place. Their goal was to be among the top three in order to qualify for the Olympic final.

In sailing, the men’s skiff event at the Paris Olympic regatta in Marseilles is halfway through, and Dublin’s Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove currently hold second place. Despite coming eighth in the third race of the day, their earlier placements have positioned them as overall leaders going into yesterday’s final race. However, a third win for New Zealander sailors Isaac Kale McHardie and William McKenzie pushed them into the overall lead.

As things stand, the Irish team have a nine-point lead over the crew currently in third place, consisting of Spain’s Diego Botin le Chever and Florian Trittel Paul. Three more races are scheduled for today.

Meanwhile, reporter Denis Walsh interviewed prominent Irish sports figure Finbarr Kirwan.

[Finbarr Kirwan is a key figure in global sports.Opens in new window]

Ian O’Riordan was on site to see Mona McSharry win a bronze medal – hopefully the first of many for Ireland in Paris. To tempt fate, we are dispatching our seasoned Olympics correspondent back to the pool this evening to follow swimmer Daniel Wiffen. Ian had previously examined Daniel’s chances ahead of the final.

[Ian O’Riordan took a look at Daniel’s chances leading up to the final.Opens in new window]

Rachael Darragh, an Olympic newcomer from Donegal, will be making her badminton debut on the pitch in Group L. Her opponent is Jenjira Stadelmann from Switzerland, who secured a medal in the European Games the previous summer. Darragh, coincidently related to Chloe Magee, a triple Irish Olympian and fellow badminton player, currently holds the 82nd spot in the world ranking.

Yesterday Liam Jegou had a stellar performance, finishing seventh in the C1 final. His canoe slalom colleagues, Michaela Corcoran and Noel Hendrick, will be starting their 2024 Olympic Games with the first and second Men’s K1 and Women’s C1 runs, respectively.

The Irish men’s hockey squad are positioned in a critical game – although it’s not an absolute must-win – following losses to Belgium (2-0) and, the day before, Australia (2-1). Their display against Australia showed promising signs, notably in the second quarter; they’ll need to hold onto this performance when they face India, the Tokyo bronze medallists, at midday (12.15).

Equestrian entrant Abigail Lyle, representing Ireland, will commence her Olympic journey in the Dressage Individual Grand Prix, mounted on Giraldo, at the visually appealing Palace of Versailles location. Lyle, being Ireland’s sole participant in dressage, will be endeavouring to make the cut for the Individual Final (Freestyle to Music). This is for the top two competitors from each group, along with the next six contestants with the best results (including ties) making it to the Individual Final (Grand Prix Freestyle).

I’m John O’Sullivan, saying good morning and welcome. I’m fully hydrated and geared up to go.

In light of Mona McSharry earning her place in history with a bronze medal last night, Daniel Wiffen, a dual world champion from Ireland, will try to earn his debut Olympic medal in the 800m freestyle final. The Armagh native was the speediest in the qualifiers for that final, setting a time of 7:41.53 in the preliminary rounds yesterday.

Three Irish rowing teams will once again compete tomorrow morning, with their gaze set on securing a place in their respective finals. The men’s and women’s double teams need to secure at least a top three finish in their semi-finals for a spot in the final, while a close top two result is required for the women’s four in their event’s repechage.

Malachy Clerkin penned that the women’s double sculls event will start with Zoe Hyde and Alison Bergin at 9:50am. The male team of Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch, who have made a remarkable impression during the heats, also participate in the men’s double sculls. Despite slowing down in the latter half of their race, they still clocked the quickest time in their category, a strategic move to save their strength for subsequent rounds.

In another sporting event, Boxing, Jennifer Lehane, an educator by profession from Ashbourne, skipped the initial rounds and moved directly into the last 16 of the 54kg class due to a bye. As her next challenge, she has to go head-to-head with Yuan Chang, a two-time champion at the Asian Games hailing from China, again in the 54kg category. The Meath boxer has taken a temporary break from her teaching job to become Ireland’s maiden female Olympian in the bantamweight category as she prepares for her inaugural Olympic event.

Yesterday’s 60kg category confirmed Kellie Harrington’s quarterfinals opponent. In a bout scheduled for Wednesday evening, Harrington will square off against Paola Angie Valdas Pana, the Colombian silver medallist from the 2023 World Championships. Pana secured this spot after winning a closely contested match against Donjeta Sadiku of Kosovo on a 3-2 split decision.

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