The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are well underway, with Irish athletes beating Olympic records and reaching new heights. Here’s a look at all of our Irish medallists so far!
Gold Medallists
Daniel Wiffen – Men’s 800m Freestyle
Daniel Wiffen has won an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 800m freestyle final, setting a new Olympic record time of 7:38.19.
The twenty-three-year old becomes Team Ireland’s second medallist at these Olympic Games, after team mate Mona McSharry claimed bronze in the pool earlier in the week. Wiffen, under coach Andi Manley at Loughborough University, where he is studying, becomes the first ever Irish man in history to win an Olympic swimming medal!
Wiffen stormed to gold in a time of 7:38.19 setting a new personal best (PB), national record (NR), and European record (ER) by a full second in the process. Wiffen’s stunning performance also set a new Olympic record (OR) on the night, knocking over three seconds off the previous mark of 7:41.28 set by Mykhalo Romanchuk of Ukraine in Tokyo 2020.
Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy – Men’s Double Sculls
Ireland rowers Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan completed back-to-back Olympic titles after defending the lightweight men’s double sculls title in Paris.
The pair stormed to gold at Tokyo three years ago and repeated the feat with a brilliant performance at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday!
Rhys McClenaghan – Pommel Horse
Rhys McClenaghan has become the country’s third gold medal winner in what is turning out to be a hugely successful Olympic Games for Team Ireland.
His score of 15.533 (difficulty 6.600 and execution 8.933) in Saturday afternoon’s pommel horse final was enough to take first place ahead of the competitors from Kazakhstan and USA.
The athlete became Ireland’s first medalist in artistic gymnastics with his first place win.
Kellie Harrington – Women’s Lightweight Boxing
Team Ireland’s boxing super star Kellie Harrington has won Olympic GOLD (60kg Lightweight) beating China’s Wenlu Yang 4-1 in Paris tonight, to retain the Olympic title she won in Tokyo!
Harrington was the first boxing champion crowned at Paris 2024, in the purpose built ring at the iconic Roland Garris stadium, with an audience of 15,000 cheering her on. She has already made history in Paris last Wednesday by becoming the first Irish woman ever to win medals at two Olympic Games.
Tonight, 34-year-old Kellie Harrington of Portland Row in Dublin becomes the first Irish woman ever to win back to back Olympic gold medals.
Bronze Medallists
Mona Mc Sharry – Women’s 100m Breaststroke
Sligo’s Mona McSharry has won a stunning Olympic bronze medal in the final of the women’s 100m breaststroke. In doing so, McSharry becomes Team Ireland’s first medallist at these Olympic Games, and the first Irish swimmer to win an Olympic medal in 28 years – notably also the first Irish swimmer to ever win an Olympic breaststroke medal.
Kellie Harrington – Women’s Lightweight Boxing
Kellie Harrington competed in the women’s 60kg quarter-final against Angie Paola Valdes Pana with ease. She swept to an unanimous 5-0 decision on scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 29-8, 29-28, and has become the first woman to join an exclusive club of Irish athletes who have won medals at more than one Olympic Games! Harrington defeated Colombian Angie Valdas Pana by unanimous decision to secure at least a bronze medal at these Games, adding to the gold medal she won in Tokyo three years ago.
That bronze will be upgraded to at least silver if she can win her 60kg semi-final bout on Saturday.
Philip Doyle and Dare Lynch – Men’s Double Sculls Final
Rowers Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch have taken bronze after finishing third in the Men’s Double Sculls Final. The pair finished behind Romania in first and the Netherlands in second.
The duo’s success marks Ireland’s fourth ever rowing medal at an Olympic Games after men’s lightweight double sculls crews won silver and gold respectively at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and the women’s four took home bronze three years ago.
Looking Ahead
But that’s not all – as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games continue, Ireland eagerly anticipates more memorable moments and medals – we’re sure there’s more to come! Plenty of our Irish athletes have advanced into both semi finals and finals in other sports, and we wish them the best of luck in making it onto the podium!
Updates to follow.
