The commencement of Ireland’s Olympic Games has been flawless, as observed by Johnny Watterson, following the victories of the men’s rugby Sevens team over South Africa and Japan in their group matches held at Stade de France last Wednesday. Regardless of the outcome in their match with New Zealand, the team has secured a place in the quarter-finals. Team captain, Harry McNulty, while advising caution, acknowledges that the pressure is lessened due to their victories. Following their match with New Zealand, they hope to advance further by scoring a victory in the quarter-final match tonight and potentially moving onto the medal matches scheduled for Saturday.
Madison and Michaela Corcoran, twin sisters who are also participating in the Games as canoeists, are hoping for an equally successful start. Notably, they’re not the only siblings representing Ireland, as boxers Michaela and Aidan Walsh, as well as athletes Jodie and Luke McCann, are also part of the Irish squad.
In parallel to the Olympics, Kieran McGeeney, the manager of Armagh, is directing his attention towards ensuring his team’s spot on the podium in Sunday’s All Ireland final. Their adversaries, the Galway team, have relied heavily on their stringent defence, allowing only one goal so far to help them reach the final.
Nevertheless, Ciarán Murphy’s confidence in Galway’s potential victory is quite high due to the “zen calm” that has washed over him throughout this week. However, after his discussion with Oisín McConville from Crossmaglen, he found that optimism for Armagh’s chances was equally strong. As Ciaran notes, he managed to find a touch of doubt that was previously absent.
Ahead of the Uefa Conference League qualifier against FC Vaduz of Liechtenstein, Stephen Kenny, a renowned figure in football, catches up with Gavin Cummiskey. Meanwhile, Pádraig Harrington chats with Philip Reid about his anticipation of third-time success in the British Senior Open that commences today, having come second in the last two installments of the tournament.
In a different sport and a different continent, Dave Hannigan shares in his America at Large column the intriguing journey of ex-college quarterback Johnny McEntee from the sports field to the political sphere, where he is now a key adviser to Project 2025, a staunchly conservative group working on the policies and staffing strategies for the future Republican administration – a truly remarkable tale.
As for television highlights, viewers can look forward to watching six Irish golfers, including the odds-on favourite Pádraig Harrington, competing at the British Senior Open happening today at Carnoustie on Sky Sports Golf from 12.30pm to 6pm. The Irish men’s Rugby Sevens team also returns to action at the Olympic Games, wrapping up their pool play against New Zealand at 3.30pm (RTÉ 2) and going on to compete in the quarter-final later this evening at either 8pm or 9pm, with the timing dependent on the result of their previous game.