Ireland enjoyed a successful first day at the Paris Olympics, with strong performances across multiple disciplines.
Rowing
Both the menâs and womenâs double sculls crews secured their places in the semi-finals, despite challenging conditions. Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch, the men's double sculls pair, stormed to a comfortable win in their heat, topping the time charts and avoiding a repechage. The women's pair, Olympic debutants Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde, also progressed after a strong third-place finish in their heat.
Gymnastics
Rhys McClenaghan, Ireland's two-time world champion, continued his dominance on the pommel horse, topping the qualifying round with a score of 15.200. This impressive performance not only secured McClenaghan a place in the pommel final but also made him the first Irish gymnast to reach a second Olympic final.
Rugby Sevens
Ireland's men's rugby sevens team fought hard, securing a thrilling semi-final victory over the United States before ultimately finishing sixth after a close 5th-place playoff loss to New Zealand. The team's semi-final win was a testament to their resilience, with late tries from Zac Ward and Terry Kennedy securing the victory.
Boxing
Dean Clancy, a promising young boxer, faced a tough first-round defeat against Obada Al-Kasbeh in a bruising bout. Clancy fell short in a split decision, ultimately losing 3-2.
Badminton
Nhat Nguyen, competing in his second Olympic Games, fought hard to secure a 2-1 victory over Misha Zilberman of Israel in their opening Group P match. Nguyen showed great composure in the deciding game, winning 21-13.
Cycling
Ryan Mullen, making his Olympic debut, battled difficult conditions to finish 12th in the men's individual time trial. The race was made challenging by the heavy rain that plagued the opening days of the Games. Mullen's performance was nonetheless impressive, with him holding the hot seat as the fastest finisher for 88 seconds before being overtaken by more experienced time trialists.
Hockey
Ireland's men's hockey team, captained by Seán Murray, faced a tough opening match against defending Olympic champions Belgium. Despite a valiant defensive performance, Ireland ultimately lost 2-0, with goals from Tom Boon and Alexander Hendrickx in the second and third quarters.
Swimming
The swimming competition got underway with Ellen Walshe and Ireland's women's 4x100m freestyle relay team taking to the pool. Walshe, competing in her second Olympics, finished sixth in her 100m butterfly heat. The relay team, consisting of Erin Riordan, Victoria Catterson, Grace Davison, and Danielle Hill, delivered a strong performance in their first Olympic outing, just missing the Irish record by a fraction of a second.
Equestrian
Ireland's equestrian team began their team eventing competition with a dressage score of 38.0, leaving them in 54th position. Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M, competing in their first Olympics, had a solid performance, but a slight error at the end of their test prevented them from achieving a score in the low to mid 30s. Susie Berry, making her Olympic debut, delivered a strong performance, scoring 33.0 to sit in 32nd position. Austin O'Connor, Ireland's final eventing rider, scored 31.7, placing him in 28th position.
Canoeing
Liam Jegou, competing in the men's kayak (K1) event, battled back from a poor first run to secure his place in the semi-finals. He finished 16th overall, securing the final qualifying spot. Madison Corcoran, competing in the women's kayak (K1) event, unfortunately missed out on the semi-finals.
With strong performances across multiple disciplines, Irelandâs athletes have made a promising start to the Paris Olympics, setting the stage for exciting competition throughout the Games.