Ireland’s streak of success at the Paris Olympics is continuing, after Daniel Wiffen made history by claiming Ireland’s first Olympic gold medal with a breathtaking victory in the men’s 800 metres freestyle swimming final.
There were celebrations in the Kickham Plaza in Clonmel, Tipperary, for Clonmel’s Daire Lynch and his rowing partner Philip Doyle as crowds packed the plaza to see the pair take home a bronze medal for Ireland in the rowing finals.
Doyle, from Banbridge in County Down, joins athletes including Wiffen, Jack McMillan and Hannah Scott in winning medals at this years games – which have been the most successful in history for athletes from Northern Ireland, who are representing either Ireland or Great Britain.
Doyle and Lynch clocked 6:15.17, placing third after gold medal winners Romania (6:12.58) and the Netherlands (6:13.92) who took silver.
Clonmel could be heard erupting into delight at the result, which marks the first Olympic medal for Tipperary in some 92 years. Paul Nugent, a delighted Clonmel Rowing Club PRO told Tipp FM Sport, said he was “very proud” of the result.
“There won’t be a cow milked in Tipperary for a long time,” he said, when asked about the celebrations.
Speaking about Lynch, he said the result was a “great reward” for the dedicated sportsman.
“He’s worked hard for this, really hard, and they’ll be proud of their bronze medal.”
“We waited 155 years for Daire Lynch to come along,” he said, “I hope we won’t have to wait another 150 years.”
BRONZE MEDAL!
Kickham Plaza, Clonmel erupts as local man Daire Lynch wins an a Olympic Bronze medal alongside his teammate Philip Doyle
A first Olympic medal for Tipperary in 92 years pic.twitter.com/lBGi9Me89D
— Tipp FM Sport (@TippFMSport) August 1, 2024
After a stellar start, Ireland is now placed 17th on the medal table, with County Sligo’s Mona McSharring taking bronze in the 100 metre breaststroke final.
Meanwhile, veteran boxer Kellie Harrington is guaranteed to take home at least a bronze medal in lightweight boxing after beating Colombia’s Angie Paola Valdes on Wednesday.
Diamond Park is rocking ahead of Kellie Harrington’s Olympic quarter-final bout ☘️🇮🇪
Hundreds gathered here in North East Inner City 👏@FM104 @Q102FeelGood pic.twitter.com/djg8uCbcsm
— Luke Delaney (@luke_delaney4) July 31, 2024
Harrington’s win makes her the first Irish woman to have won medals at more than one Olympic Games, adding to the gold medal she won in Tokyo in 2021. Dublin born Harringtron is just the fourth athlete – and second boxer – to achieve the feat for Ireland, alongside hammer thrower Pat O’Callaghan, boxer Paddy Barnes and rower Paul O’Donovan.
That bronze will be upgraded to at least silver if she can win her 60kg semi-final fight on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sligo’s Mona McSharry expressed disappointment at missing her second Olympic final, two nights after she won the 100 metre breaststroke bronze in Paris. McSharry came sixth her 200 metres final on Wednesday night, telling reporters, “I didn’t swim fast enough.”
Whatever you do today, watch this.
Mona McSharry winning Olympic Bronze.
10/10 montage from RTÉ 👏
— Daniel Hussey (@DanielHussey2) July 30, 2024
McSharry clocked 2:24.48 and finished in 11th place overall in the semis – however, only the top eight advanced to the final.
“Not my best,” McSharry told reporters, “I don’t really know how I feel about it yet. I’m definitely disappointed in that swim.”
“I didn’t swim fast enough. Something went wrong during that race and sadly that’s sometimes how sport goes,” the Grange woman said.
“It’s tough. I’m really happy with how the 100 went and I was just hoping for a little better.
“I just expect so much more from myself and I was really hoping to make two finals. Right now I’m just upset. I feel like I let myself down.”
Northern Ireland and the Republican have been enjoying the glory of Olympic swimming success since Daniel Wiffen’s swimming success on Tuesday. The English-born athlete, who was raised in Northern Ireland and swims for Team Ireland, is now a gold medal winner and Olympic record holder.
The moment Daniel Wiffen made history in Paris 🤩
An Olympic gold medal AND an Olympic record 🏊♀️ 🥇#BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/OnkVIPSZfS
— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) July 30, 2024
It is the first gold medal secured by a person from Northern Ireland in 36 years.
The school Wiffen attended, St Patrick’s Grammar school in Armagh City, have been on a high this week celebrating Wiffin’s record-breaking win on the same week that seven former members made up the Armagh squad that won the GAA All-Ireland football final.
Principal Dominic Clarke told RTÉ radio that everyone at the school was still “on the crest of a wave” after the 23-year-old’s win.
“It’s just an absolutely fantastic achievement and it’s just reward for the effort he’s put in since he was a kid,” he added.
Meanwhile, Siobhán Haughey took bronze in the 200 metres freestyle on Wednesday, with 15 members of the Haughey family having travelled from Ireland to see the Hong Kong swimmer win her second medal of the Games. Ms Haughey, whose father Darach is Irish, and whose mother is Chinese, became the first World Record holding swimmer after breaking the 200-metre freestyle record at the 2021 World Short Course Championships, as well as the first ever Short Course World and Junior World champion.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has congratulated the Olympic swimmer, who is the grandniece of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. Ms Haughey’s father’s first cousin is Fianna Fáil TD Seán Haughey who described the 26-year-old’s medal win as “fantastic”.
“We’re all so proud”
15 members of the Haughey family have travelled over from Ireland to support Siobhán Bernadette Haughey who tonight secured her second medal of the Olympics for Hong Kong in the pool. pic.twitter.com/gLFO60hDSZ
— Kate Varley (@varleytweets) July 31, 2024
Deputy Haughey said it had been a “very exciting race,” as he recalled how he a “big gang” had made the trip to see Siobhán compete, and that they were waving both Hong Kong and Irish flags during the race.