Start the final morning of Paris 2024 with The 42′s definitive guide to all the day’s action: when you need to be in front of the TV, all of the Irish involvement, and what other big stories should you look out for.
AFTER LAST NIGHT’S exhilarating Women’s 4x400m Relay final in which Ireland came agonisingly close to sealing an eighth medal, the curtain comes down today on a record-breaking Olympic Games for the country.
Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy and birthday girl Sharlene Mawdsley took almost three seconds off the Irish record as they fell fractionally short of bronze in one of the fastest 4×400 races of all time.
And while last night’s Irish quartet will have already cast an eye towards getting onto the podium in Los Angeles in four years’ time, there still remain a couple of Irish athletes whose races in Paris aren’t yet run — or, eh, cycled.
Which Irish athletes are competing, and when can I watch them?
ATHLETICS: The great Fionnuala McCormack will this morning become the first Irish woman to have competed at five Olympic Games.
McCormack, who made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2008, is the first of two Irish athletes who will compete on the final day of Paris.
The 39-year-old Wicklow woman, a three-time European cross-country champion, will run the Women’s Marathon from 7am.
Evanne Ní Chuillin will bring live coverage of McCormark’s race on RTÉ2.
TRACK CYCLING: Another Wicklow native, Lara Gillespie, will compete in the Women’s Omnium from 10am.
The 23-year-old, who along with Alice Sharpe finished 11th in the the Madison event on Friday, will also be shown live on RTÉ2.
The Omnium scratch race will take place at 10am, the Tempo Race will begin at 10:57am, and the Elimination Race is scheduled for 11:53am.
Gillespie’s Points Race will take us into the afternoon with a start time of 12:56. This will be the final leg of the final event involving an Irish athlete at the Paris Games.
Do not miss…
The final 13 gold medals of Paris 2024 will be divvied out throughout the day. Among the standout deciders will be the women’s basketball final, a rematch of last night’s clash between hosts France and the USA. That one tips off at 3:30pm.
The Americans also feature in the women’s volleyball final, in which they’ll take on Italy earlier in the afternoon, from 1pm.
In men’s handball, meanwhile, Germany meet Denmark for gold at 1:30pm.
Perhaps the most febrile final of the day, however, will occur in the men’s water polo, in which neighbouring nemeses Serbia and Croatia meet at 2pm.
Plus, there’s the Closing Ceremony which will kick off at 8pm. RTÉ2′s live coverage will begin at 7:15pm.
Expect performances from Los Angeles music icons Snoop Dogg, Billie Eilish and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a big-budget nod towards the LA Olympics in four years’ time. And expect Tom Cruise to pull off an insane stunt of some description. This is both pertinent to the Closing Ceremony and a handy rule for life in general.
It’s been a blast — enjoy the final day!
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Listen to our new podcast, Olympics Daily with Cooney and O’Carroll…
Episode 18:
Slimani will no doubt help with analysis of the Leinster- Irish players particularly in the scrum and lineout. Smart by Galthie IMO
@Michael Corkery: not really hard to dissect the irish scrum. just tell the TH prop to survive the initial hit from porter, then porter will dig himself a hole and subsequent penalty concession after. no harm before the first scrum in highlighting to the referee or touch judge to keep an eye on his bind and make sure he is scrummaging square.
@Niall English: Thanks for that bracing insight
@Niall English: ok sherlock
@Niall English: hahaha funny and kinda true
@Niall English: and what about the Munster props contribution to Irish rugby over the last decade? Oh yeah less than zero. ‘Killer’ doesn’t even count at this stage. Hasn’t added anything to Irish squads in 2+ years
@adizlack93: Why bring Munster into this? Obsessed much…
@adizlack93: this does not mean I don’t think he’s top class in other facets of the game, he’s great in defence, ball carrying etc, just scrummaging at LH is not a strong point and his discipline could be improved a tad I.e. eradicate the brain dead penalties.
If only Ireland just capped Antoine Frisch when we had the chance….would have been a useful player to have access to!
@Andrew: actually don’t think he’d have got near Irish team on merit and his heart wasn’t really in it. Right decision not to cap him although it was bad for Munster
@Andrew: really? We’re already over loaded in the centre with players better than him.
@anthony davoren: we could really have done with Joshua Brennan though
@anthony davoren: most of them are inside centers. Ringrose is the only one playing regularly at outside center.
@Andrew: we have 4 top class centres and frisch didn’t want to play for Ireland just like Joshua brennan.
@Andrew: miles behind henshaw aki ringrose
@Michael Corkery: Me either but the French thought he was good enough! would have kept a very useful player here. They have two lads fro that Chris Farell case in the squad too I believe.
@Thesaltyurchin: 2 lads in the squad were accused of rape in Argentina last year. Are you thinking of that? The case was dropped, but an appeal is pending. I think it might have been the right thing to wait until the process is completed.
Any other nation in world baptiste serin would have 80 plus caps
@Gary Galligan: hilarious he cant make the squad, if he were irish i think he might edge out JGP
@Owen ODonoghue: wouldn’t go that far lol
With all 3 THs in international squads, looks like Leinster will need to borrow a couple from other Provinces. Hopefully that shouldn’t be a problem
@Kevin Ryan: Hahahahaha. Other provinces happy to “borrow” from Leinster, so surely they will. Big opps for McGuire and Sparrow perhaps. Unless TC gets released from camp to play if O’Toole is called up for example.
@Kevin Ryan: we’ll take Wilson from Ulster and Jager from Munster to see us through
@Kevin Ryan: We might need to borrow an entire front row as all 9 are called up for international duty.
The old way of picking the squad was way less controversial you were picked on the basis of what Mulqueen, Doyler and Neddy van Esbeck wrote about you and whether you could manage the obligatory 20 pints around ballsbridge the Thursday before the match.
Is there any irish fans who support ireland bloody hell negitiveity is all i see
@Shanie: ah cmon now, we’ve already seen with the Fri night games on during November that the irfu is really only interested in Dublin & the pale. Shur ye lads can shout for ‘ireland’
@munsterman: I feel sorry for people like you, you’ve done everything you can to make it impossible to enjoy a sport you’re supposed to like by making it political.
@PJ Smith: here here
Everyone overrated the french
What’s the story with Cameron Woki?
@Carmine Lorenzo: and baptiste serin
@Carmine Lorenzo: Way too much quality to go around, simple as that really.
@Gary Galligan: Meanwhile, on le42.fr, où est Nick Timoney?
@Gary Galligan: yeah serin is quality
@Ray Ridge: Perhaps that’s true alright. Woki, Willemse and Tuilagi missing.. and that is just from the row! Lebel and Rattez on the wing. Dumortier was another back who looked pretty good but not sure if he’s been called up in a while. Then you have lads injured. It’s astonishing depth of quality really.
@Carmine Lorenzo: Macalou another backrow of quality. No Dante in the centre either. Think he’s injured. Astonishing depth when you think about it.
@Justin Robinson: underrated comment.
@Ray Ridge: Yeah Macalou forgot about him, he’s quality. Was in their first choice 23 at the world cup and now can’t make the squad.
@Carmine Lorenzo: He’s a thug and a liability.
I would say it’s hard to believe that Hugh cooney is given more of an opportunity for Ireland than French international antoine frisch but really who would I be kidding
@munsterman: Not sure that you are willing to listen to this but the situation is completely different. AF had his centres pretty much nailed down before the WC and it would have taken something spectacular from anyone else to break their way into the squad. Some might say we needed a 13 but that’s not how AF saw it. Frisch’s age means that it would be a little bit harder for him to break his way into the team in this WC cycle than what it would be for, say a 21 year old promising up and coming centre. Frisch came along at the wrong time. Simple as that
@munsterman: Hot take – Hugh Cooney is an academy player, not a senior player like Frisch. Furthermore, he’s not in the outright squad he’s there for development purposes. See point 1 above. Lastly, and whisper it quietly, maybe they think he could be a better player than Frisch eventually? I know that might be hard to take but we’re here for you <3
@Carmine Lorenzo: if it was Hugh gavin I could understand it but Hugh cooney? Look.from the bit I’ve seen of him he looks a handy player like a lot of those polished kids that come out of the schools system in Dublin but when it comes to replacing ringrose, leinster will sign an niq before they’ll trust Hugh cooney
@munsterman: You do remember that AF was called up for the 2022 Emerging Ireland tour? Maybe he didn’t impress. It’s also possible that he is happier being in the squad for his actual country, rather than being locked out by a token Irish cap to keep him at Munster.
That said, I’m really surprised to see Cooney called up. I know it’s only as a Development player; but he’s hardly played at all for Leinster and, although he was called up for the 2024 EI tour, I don’t remember him having a major impact
@munsterman: Is Hugh Gavin injured? Haven’t heard much of him since he joined Connacht. Should really have joined Munster as he has great potential.
@Con Cussed: yes injured
@Con Cussed: why would he leave Connacht for Munster? He has been and is currently injured. Besides Munster have had a NIQ centre for nearly 25 years, Gavin would be up against it if he went there! Connacht is absolutely the right place for him to ply his trade in the academy.
@munsterman: Cooney really impressed on the EIntour all things told. I’d agree with you re Hugh Gavin but unfortunately he is injured and has been since November
@munsterman: Frisch was selected as a panelist and development squad just like Cooney, so actually your statement is 100% false. Frisch didn’t take his chance and has been persuaded that his future lies in France. For me he gave up too quickly and we don’t want or need players who are not willing to fight. McCloskey deserved his spot ahead of Frisch because he was willing to fight for it and eventually got it – 4 years later!!
@Paul Ennis: For the sake of keeping these players here, himself and Klien should have been run out, it was a miss no question, I don’t think either would be picked ahead of Ringrose or McCarthy but they would have been useful all the same. French dont have a problem doing it.