On the first day of Paris 2024, Ireland’s Mona McSharry clinched the nation’s inaugural medal, saving a mere 0.01 seconds in the 100m breaststroke. This was the first incident of Ireland taking a medal in this category.
The following day, a fierce comeback in the last stretch of the 800m freestyle saw Daniel Wiffen strike gold. The remarkable performance meant that for the first time, Ireland had two different swimmers earning a medal each at the same Olympic games.
Wednesday saw Kellie Harrington overcoming her second rival of the week via a unanimous decision, which assured her a spot on the podium. With this achievement, she became the first Irish female to secure medals in two separate games.
Moving onto Thursday, Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch secured a bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight pairs competition, marking the first instance of Ireland medalling in this rowing event at the Olympics.
On Friday, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s gold win in lightweight pairs race carved a place in history, as they became the first from Ireland to retain an Olympic gold after nearly 100 years. In addition, O’Donovan established a record as the first Irish competitor to clinch medals in three Olympic Games.
Rhys McClenaghan’s performance on Saturday led to a gold medal in the pommel horse category, a first in gymnastics for Ireland. Consequently, these games would be remembered for Ireland securing medals across four diverse sports.
Closing the week on Sunday, Daniel Wiffen took home a bronze in the men’s 1,500m freestyle, turning heads as the first Irish male to receive multiple medals during one Olympic event.