Boxing
In a dominant display, Kellie Harrington, the existing Olympic champ, triumphed over Valdes Pana from Columbia, receiving a unanimous 5-0 decision, securing her position in the lightweight division semi-finals (60kg). Her victory assures her at the very least a bronze medal at these Games. As she attained Team Ireland’s third medal at the Paris Olympics, the Dubliner engraved her name in history being only the fourth Irish athlete to procure medals at two distinct Olympics.
This achievement also marks the 38th medal in Ireland’s Olympic history on the nation’s centennial Olympic anniversary, showcasing the Irish boxing’s remarkable contribution to 19 of the total medals.
Harrington expressed post-victory, “There’s no time to reflect on what you’ve achieved, rather focus on forthcoming challenges. I’m delighted with my performance, very proud of myself. I’m delighted to be here, doing what I love/hate to do, this oscillation between hate-to-adore and adore-to-hate.
“I’m living in the moment, taking each day as it comes. I’m relishing it. This Olympics is about my enjoyment and personal happiness. Whatever outcome arises, I am content in my efforts.”
She is one of only four Irish athletes to receive medals at two different Olympics, joining the elite group of double hammer champion Dr Pat O’Callaghan, boxer Paddy Barnes, and professional rower Paul O’Donovan.
However, Olympic rookie Jude Gallagher faced defeat in the last 16 featherweight (57kg) competition at the hands of previous Olympic medalist Carlo Paalam from the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Aoife O’Rourke suffered disappointment after losing by split decision in a chaotic bout against Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik in the 75kg match.
Rowing
Four Irish teams competed in the semi-finals of their scheduled events, each crew striving for one of the top three semi-final spots to qualify for their Olympic final contests.
In their respective categories, three of the four teams successfully proceeded to the Olympic finals scheduled for Friday. This includes the Men’s Pair, both Lightweight Doubles, and the Men’s Double comprised of Doyle and Lynch. This makes it the largest representation Ireland has ever had in the rowing finals at these Games.
Nathan Timoney, aged 23, and Ross Corrigan, aged 25, comprised the Men’s Pair, earning the first finals spot by finishing third in their semi-final.
Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls current Olympic and World Champions, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, guarantee their place in the finals after a remarkable show of skill on the waters at Vaires-sur-Marne. The team from Cork started third behind French and Swiss teams at the 500m mark. However, they surpassed them by the halfway marker and had a noticeable lead by the 1,500m checkpoint.
O’Donovan subsequently remarked positively on their performance, stating that despite pre-Games fatigue, they were displaying excellent technique and were eager for the Friday finals.
Amid a thrilling race, the Lightweight Women’s Double – Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey – ensured their first-ever entrance to an Olympic final. The duo had previously finished in 8th place in Tokyo, demonstrating significant growth over the past few years. They maintained a calm demeanour throughout the race, securing third place just behind Greece and reigning European champions, Romania.
However, the sailing competition was disappointing for the Women’s Pair, Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh. They failed to advance to the final due to a lacklustre performance resulting in a sixth-place finish in their semi-final race. Great Britain, who claimed victory in the other semi-final over New Zealand and the USA, are viewed as top contenders for the gold medal on Friday.
Today marked the completion of the final fleet races in Marseilles, featuring the Men’s Skiff. Irish duo Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove showcased a commendable performance, finishing 11th in the 10th race, and 12th in the subsequent race. The pinnacle of their performance was seen in the final race of the series, where they bagged the second spot. This outcome has slotted the Dublin pair in contention for the upcoming medal race, securing the runner-up position just after Spain, and slightly before New Zealand.
In the final fleet race, Dickson and Waddilove took a daring decision, choosing to swift across the opposite side of the field – a gamble that bore fruitful results. They managed to maintain a leading position for the entire race, briefly beaten by the Croatians just by a small margin. Their consistent performance held them in second place, making it their fourth consecutive day on the podium.
Scheduled at 1.43 pm, the upcoming medal race will see a shorter course, with points awarded based on double the series points. Ultimately, the sum of series points and medal race points will determine the medal recipients.
Speaking on this week’s competition, Dickson noted their satisfaction with the performances. He relayed that they were pleased to be in contention for gold in the medal race. Despite experiencing two challenging races, they were able to rally and concluded with a robust final performance.
In swimming news, Mona McSharry returned quickly to the Paris La Défense Arena, roughly 36 hours after her bronze-winning performance in the 100m breaststroke. However, moving to the 200m category landed her a sixth-place finish, which her time of 2:24.48, unfortunately, did not qualify her for the eight-woman final. Ranking 11th, slightly behind her 2:23.98 score from the earlier heat, McSharry will make a return to the Olympic pool for the women’s medley relay this weekend.
Mona McSharry unfortunately ran out of energy and was unable to secure a position in the Olympic 200m breaststroke final. Furthermore, in the field of badminton, Nhat Nguyen from Team Ireland showed impressive skills during his final Group game in the Men’s Singles category at the La Chapelle Arena. After having victories in his initial two Group P games at these championships, Nguyen from Dublin entered Wednesday morning’s match against his Danish rival Victor Axelsen, an esteemed double world champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and a quadruple time European champion. Despite a determined effort, Nguyen was defeated with a scoreline of 21-13, 21-10.
Additionally, after a loss to a Swiss competitor in a fierce three-set game, Rachael Darragh had a significant challenge to overcome. Her concluding match was against the seasoned Spanish player Carolina Marin, a Rio Olympic Gold medallist, thrice world champion, and the fourth seed in Paris. Darragh from Donegal ended her tournament suffering a straight sets loss to Marin at the La Chapelle Arena, finishing with a score of 21-5, 21-5.