Start every morning with The 42′s definitive guide to all the day’s action: when you need to be in front of the TV, who are Ireland’s medal hopefuls, and what other big stories should you look out for.
IT’S FRIDAY — AND Day Seven of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Another jam-packed day of action lies ahead in Paris, with opportunities for more Irish medals across rowing, sailing and equestrian. After Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch’s bronze yesterday, the hope is to add to the current tally of four.
The athletics also gets underway. In all, there will be Irish representation across nine sports, and as usual, there are big international stories to keep an eye on.
You know the drill by now: you can do so on RTÉ, and all the usual channels.
Which Irish athletes are competing – and when can I watch them?
Golf: Round 2 of the men’s individual tournament gets underway bright and early, with Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy both in action. Lowry is out first at 8.44am, while McIlroy has Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg for company when he tees off at 11.06am.
Rowing: A huge day in store at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh are up first in the Women’s Pair B final at 9.54am, before Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney contest the Men’s Pair A final at 10.30pm.
Then it’s all eyes on Paul O’Donovan and Finan McCarthy in the Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls final just after 11am, and Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey in the Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls final at 11.22am.
Athletics: Cathal Doyle is the first Irish track athlete out at the Stade de France. He’s in the first heat of the Men’s 1500m, with Luke McCann and Andrew Coscoran following suit in the next two. The first six runners in each heat progress to the semi-finals.
In the evening session, Jodie McCann lines up in the Women’s 5000m heats just after 5.30pm, with the first eight in each advancing to the final. The 4x400m Mixed Relay team are out around 6.20pm. where the first three in each heat qualify along with the two fastest runners-up. The team is yet to be confirmed, but it seems Rhasidat Adeleke will sit this one out.
Shot Putter Eric Favours is in action at 7.10pm. All that meet the standard of 21.35, or at least the 12 best qualify for the final.
Swimming: After a thrilling few days in the pool, Ellen Walshe is the only Irish swimmer out on Friday. She’s in the last heat of the Women’s 200m Individual Medley at 10.35pm. The 16 fastest overall progress to the semi-final, scheduled for 8.22pm.
Sailing: The highlight will be Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove in the rescheduled Men’s Skiff medal race at 12.13pm after yesterday’s abandonment chaos.
Eve McMahon and Finn Lynch are also in action in the Women’s and Men’s Dinghy. McMahon’s Race 2 is also rescheduled for 10.05am with Races 3 and 4 getting underway at 11.10am and 12.18pm. Race 3 and 4 for Lynch are at 2.30pm and 3.40pm respectively.
Equestrian: The showjumping team final is slated in for 1pm. Shane Sweetnam is up first on James Kann Cruz — as fifth of 30 riders — with Daniel Coyle on Legacy and Cian O’Connor aboard Maurice following thereafter.
Canoe Slalom: Noel Hendrick and Liam Jegou feature in the Men’s Kayak Cross Time Trial at 2.30pm, with Madison Corcoran in the women’s equivalent at 3.40pm.
Boxing: Michaela Walsh is the only Irish boxer in the ring today, getting her Women’s Featherweight (57kg) campaign underway against Bulgaria’s Svetlana Kamenova Staneva after 2.30pm.
Hockey: The Irish men’s hockey team face New Zealand in their final game at 4pm, though they cannot advance after four defeats.
Team Ireland medal watch
Be in front of the television from 10.30am as the Irish rowing team try to add to their medal count. Corrigan and Timoney contest the Men’s Pair final, before O’Donovan and McCarthy look to defend their Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls crown. And then Cremen and Casey go into the Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls final.
There’s also medal opportunities in sailing and equestrian: Dickson and Waddilove in the rescheduled Men’s Skiff medal race from 12.13pm, and the showjumping team of Sweetnam, O’Connor and Coyle around lunchtime.
Do not miss…
Aside from all of the above, of course, the men’s 10,000m is the first athletics final down for decision at the Stade de France at 8.20pm. World record holder Joshua Cheptegei is the gold medal favourite.
The BMX racing finals are worth a watch, if Gavin Cooney’s report from Tuesday is anything to go by, while there are more swimming medals to be handed out at La Défense Arena.
The Men’s 50m Freestyle final — or Splash and Dash — is always worth a watch; Australia’s Kaylee McKeown is looking to complete a remarkable 100m and 200m Backstroke double-double; and home hero Léon Marchand is targetting a FOURTH Paris 2024 gold medal and world record in the 200m Individual Medley.
Bring on Day Seven.
***
Listen to our new podcast, Olympics Daily with Cooney and O’Carroll…
Episode 9: Ireland robbed in the boxing but bag a bronze on the water
Hoping Herring gets some game time this weekend, very risky to start or bench him for NZ with no game time for 5 months
This squad and the inclusion of the old lads has got me thinking about next summer’s tour.
Assuming that Ireland’s 1st XV will be on Lions duty and that Healy, Herring, Murray and O’Mahony will retire from international rugby, who would be in your squad? I’ve got something like this:
Loughman, O’Toole, Boyle
Kelleher, Stewart, McCarthy/Barron
Bealham, Clarkson, Aungier/Wilson
Henderson, Edogbo, Sheridan, Baird, Izuchukwu, Ahern
Conan, Prendergast, Timoney, Kendellen, McCann, Deegan
Casey, Blade, Murphy
Frawley, Prendergast, Byrne
Henshaw, McCloskey, Gavin, Forde, Postlethwaite
J. Osborne, Stockdale, Nash, Larmour, Bolton, A.Osborne