On the inaugural day of the Olympic Games, Ireland’s men and women teams in double sculls rowing had triumphant beginnings, securing spots in their designated semi-finals. Despite the rainfall in Vaires-sur-Marne, both teams from the Emerald Isle, propelled by favourable aquatic conditions, didn’t let anything deter their progress.
For the men’s team, Phil Doyle and Daire Lynch led the way by rounding off the triumvirate of qualifiers in a confident victory in their heat’s final race. This victory secures their place in the semi-finals, sparing them the task of competing in the Sunday morning’s repechage. Initially, the Irish men were in third place, but they quickly became the quickest crew on water, manoeuvring ahead in the race eventually. Their prompt record amongst three heats has provided them a potentially advantageous lane draw for Tuesday’s semi-finals.
For their first time at the Olympics, women rowers Alison Bergin of Fermoy and Zoe Hyde of Killorglin, made great strides as well. They managed to come third in their heat, so they are heading straight to the women’s double semi-finals.
There has also been some controversy surrounding Chinese swimmers in the Paris La Défense Arena.
In other news from the Olympic Games, the Irish Rugby Sevens squad managed an impressive 17-14 victory against the USA. This achievement secures them a match against New Zealand in the battle for the fifth place. The game will be held at 5:30pm Irish time on Saturday.
After Hugo Lennox’s try and subsequent conversion gave Ireland an early triumph, the US retaliated. Aaron Cummings and Perry Baker scored converted tries taking the match to 7-14 to the US. The thrilling end of the match saw Zac Ward and Terry Kennedy make late tries, turning the game in Ireland’s favour. The final try was made by top scorer Kennedy who, in extra time, pulled US player Marcus Tupuola over the line along with him, causing uproarious celebrations among the Irish fans in the overflowing Stade de France.
In hockey news…
Despite demonstrating a resilient defensive strategy, the Irish men’s hockey unit started their journey towards Paris 2024 with a 2-0 loss to the previous Olympic gold medalists – Belgium, at the iconic Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, recognisable for being the 1924 Olympic location.
Piloted by Seán Murray, the Irish contingent took to the Olympic field after a five year hiatus since Rio 2016. They put up a strong effort against the globe’s third best team, yet Belgium’s dominant control and turf presence eventually reflected in the scoreboard, with Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx scoring in quarters two and three.
At the Paris Le Défense Arena, swimming events also commenced with Ellen Walshe and the Irish Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay springing into the opening day’s proceeding. For the 100m butterfly heat, Walshe, now in her second Olympic appearance, secured sixth place with a time of 58.70.
Joining Walshe were Erin Riordan, Victoria Catterson and Grace Davison, all first-time Olympians, alongside Danielle Hill from the Tokyo games, in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay; signifying the first time since Munich 1972 that Ireland has had a female relay team at the Olympics. The team narrowly missed the Irish record of 3:41.75, recording a time of 3:42.67 and putting them in eighth place in their heat after a commendable fight against the team from Hong Kong stationed in the next lane, who claimed a slightly faster time of 3:42.42.
Sarah Ennis and her equine partner Action Lady M commenced their Team Eventing competition with a dressage score of 38.0 at the Palace of Versailles. Initially on track for a score in the early to mid 30s, the mare’s minor error in front of the large screen ushered a shift towards preparation for the cross-country on Sunday, to recover lost ground before Monday’s showjumping.
Ireland’s secondary eventing rider Susie Berry gave a satisfying dressage performance, scoring 33.0 on Wellfields Lincoln, marking her first Olympic appearance for the rider from Banbridge.
Berry stated, “The experience is otherworldly, yet I’m ecstatic about him – he can be a nervous horse but today he was exceptionally alert. It seemed that he sensed a distinctive atmosphere today. His trotting was graceful during our session, though in his canter, I detected a slight tension through his back which could have made a few routines harder for him that would typically be second nature.”