How was it for you? Our writers on their Olympic highs and lows
Pic: Photo/louise Match Santos Eduarda At Lisboa The From Brazil's Stadium Women's Serves Delmotte Quarterfinal Volleyball Downtown: Tower Ap Beach Eiffel
It was superb. And it was badly needed. Rio was a bust for all sorts of reasons, Tokyo was the covid Games. We needed this. Paris made for a stunning, unique backdrop, the transport was superb (take note Germany!) and the people embraced it. We’ll have to wait another generation to see it so close to home again.
Up there with the best. Granted, my in-person Olympic experiences only go back to London 2012, so a shallow sample size, but for venues it was undoubtedly the best ever, utilising the city and not wasting money on white elephants. The crowds were outstanding, the transport an absolute wonder. Dublin could never.
Very. Olympic costs can crush hosts. Paris 2024 vowed they would have a more affordable showpiece. They avoided unnecessary developments and allowed the games to adapt to the city rather than the other way around. It helps that it is the ideal city for it. An extraordinary level of sporting drama found the perfect stage.
: Probably Rhys McClenaghan’s gold. The tension involved in watching a guy do that routine inside 45 seconds was unbearable. The sight of his smile and his clenched fists when he dismounted was everything you want to see for an Irish athlete at an Olympics. And it was all the better for his openness about his mental health in recent years.
The unexpected one: Mona McSharry. Not that it should have been that unexpected, given this is a world junior champion and former Olympic finalist we’re talking about. But it still was. And to get the verdict by one hundredth of a second in what she says is her last Olympics, it was a stars-aligning moment for an athlete who’s so very deserving of it.
Kellie Harrington's gold medal on the gilded courts of Roland-Garros. One of the rare nights that felt momentous in the moment. She became the first Irish woman to successfully defend an Olympic gold medal in any sport. It was the last fight of the night, so the majority of supporters left in the stand were wearing green.
It should be said that the wider context of Irish boxing's struggles and the ongoing gender controversy were clear too. Coach Zaur Antia danced joyously in the ring-post fight at his team's only medal in Paris. Algerian welterweight Imane Khelif won her semi-final in front of remarkable support.
: Tom Fannon breaking two Irish records in the 50m freestyle came and went after Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry had claimed their medal and people’s minds had been turned elsewhere. Experts talk about bringing your best to the Games. Fannon did it twice in the one day. Missed the final by 0.1 of a second. Brilliant but brutal to come so close too.
Mark English in the men’s 800m. He ultimately hit the same ceiling he has many times before – a global semi-final – but looked better than ever doing it. In what is a young man’s event, at 31 he looks better than ever. He ran with some major cojones in the semi-final, and it didn’t come off, but came very close. Maybe next year.
In 2016, Daniel Coyle found himself at a career crossroads. He moved to Canada and became first rider for owners Susan and Ariel Grange in Ontario. That saw him shoot up the world ranking from 55th to 11th.
Still, at his debut Olympics, he felt like the 'weak link' of the team. On board Legacy, they posted three perfect rounds, two clears in the team event before again producing a flawless display in the individual qualifier. The final proved a struggle but he is a star on the rise.
No blame game here, but which Irish athlete or team could have done better?
: The men’s rugby sevens team had a right good shot at a medal after playing so well and recording such good results in the HSBC series this calendar year. They started perfectly in the first two games then let excellent winning positions slip against New Zealand and Fiji and finished sixth. Opportunity lost.
: The Irish boxers. They’d done what many deem the hardest part, getting a record team of 10 to the Games. Given their history, you’d expect that to deliver three medals. An outrageous judging decision probably cost them one, and the brightest star among them still shone brighter than ever, but Zaur Antia & Co will think long and hard about why the other eight all fell away.
: Every golfer. The sport proved its worth to the programme with an immense closing round in the men's event while just three shots separated the top five women in the race for gold. None of the Team Ireland foursome will walk away satisfied with their play.
Shane Lowry started poorly and never contended. Rory McIlroy roared into the race with five consecutive birdies and dramatically dropped out when he found water on the 15th. Leona Maguire was battling flu symptoms and carded her highest score as a pro. Meadow opened with a 78.
: Getting to witness two of the host country’s billboard stars: Antoine Dupont was intrinsic to the French sevens side winning gold, and the backing Léon Marchand had in the pool as he went for his four gold medals was mesmeric. But then the French roared every last one of their own to the hilt. Magnifique!
The men’s 1500m on the track. A race for the ages. Three-and-a-half minutes of complete suspense, of no-one in the world knowing how it was going to go. And then a surprise to cap it off as Cole Hocker stepped up and beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr. It was athletics at its finest, sport at its finest, and as good a sporting event as I’ve ever seen.
The 100m men's final. One of the best races in history at the 80,000-seater Stade de France that shattered a foolish assumption. How could the sprint final make for a great live spectator sport? It lasts less than 10 seconds. What a bad take. It's just about the action.
What happens before and after adds to a terrific experience. The tension heightened thanks to an amazing pre-race light show, dramatic music and a track invader delay. Noah Lyles eventually celebrated wildly when his first Olympic triumph was confirmed but it took a photo finish. All eight competitors finished within 0.12secs of the gold medal.
: The Paris La Defense Arena. Seeing Marchand win two of his gold medals there, and of course witnessing Ireland win a gold and bronze, was incredible in itself. But the stadium was just spectacular. Add to that, then, a superb location and the Irish celebrating with abandon in the bars and restaurants next door. Closest venue to our hotel, too. Sweet.
Really original here: the Stade de France, which shows that if you just build one really great multi-use stadium for a nation’s capital, the mileage you’ll get out of it across many decades will be well worth it. The staging, light shows, DJing and event presentation also elevated it to a stage befitting the occasion.
Place de la Concorde. One of those simple concepts that is replicable all over the world. The urban sports were fixed in their natural environment, away from stadiums, in the heart of the city.
BMX freestyle, breaking, skateboarding and 3X3 basketball took place across four small arenas in a public square with French iconic landmarks all around them. The atmosphere was heartwarming with several stalls and exhibitions mixed in.
: So many but we’ll go with the fencing at the Grand Palais. The building itself was just magnificent, the drama of the lunges and referrals made for surprisingly tense and engrossing viewing, and seeing a French team compete for a medal on the day was the cherry on top. A massive part of the Olympic programme, and one we barely notice in Ireland.
C Gymnastics. It’s such a great sport that deserves more time in the limelight. The tension and pressure when gymnasts try to execute four years of work into 45 seconds of a routine makes for pulsating viewing. But generally, the athleticism is a thing of beauty to witness. Hopefully the Irish gold medal convinces many more parents to get their kids into it as it’s a fantastic foundational sport, no matter which way you go after.
Swimming ruled the games. Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry delivered three of Ireland's seven medals. Léon Marchand became the poster boy of the Games and rewrote swimming history. Stars with brilliant backstories reached the podium. Spoilt for choice with the likes of Summer McIntosh, Adam Peaty, Katie Ledecky, Ariarne Titmus and Caeleb Dressel.
: The graph is pointing upwards in terms of performance, finance and facilities, and the target is 8-10, but boxing may not be involved and lightweight rowing is gone. Ireland’s reliance on those two pursuits has lessened but will it be possible to replicate the lift that comes with a ‘home’ Games. London and Paris have been our best Olympics. Coincidence?
: Yes. The investment should only go one way after this (or else politicians would want to take a good, long look at themselves) and at Olympic level, that ultimately tends to result in medals. There’s enough emerging talent across sports and there were enough near-misses in Paris to suggest the original goal in the 10-year high-performance plan of 8-10 medals at LA 2028 is absolutely realistic.
: Yes. It must. This is a glorious opportunity to capitalise on this success and build on a strong foundation. There are too many awesome athletes, brilliant coaches and diligent support staff involved in Team Ireland to not make that happen.