Olympics Day 5: Your guide to following the Irish athletes in Olympics action today

Fresh off the back of Daniel Wiffen’s feat of securing Ireland’s first Olympic gold medal of the Paris Games with a stunning victory in the men’s 800 metres freestyle final on Tuesday night, Irish athletes will be hoping to add another today.

In swimming, newly crowned Olympic Bronze medallist Mona McSharry is back to business when she returns to the pool for the 200m Breaststroke heats in the morning. McSharry, from Grange in Sligo, became Ireland’s first medallist of the Paris Games on Monday when she claimed bronze in the 100m Breaststroke. The University of Tennessee graduate holds the Irish record in the event at 2:22.49 which she set just last month.

In badminton, unbeaten Nhat Nguyen and first-time Olympian Rachael Darragh both face the toughest matches of their careers today.

Two-time Olympian Nguyen, who has already beaten Israeli and Nepalese opponents, now faces a must-win final group game, as only one from the group will advance to the quarter-finals. 

Nguyen is up against the defending champion Olympic champion and current world number two Viktor Axelsen (Denmark), and only the winner of their battle will progress to the knock-out stages.

After losing her debut to a Swiss player in a three-game thriller, Darragh also has a mountain to climb. Her second and final group game is against Spanish veteran Carolina Marin, the Rio Olympic champion who is a three-time world champion and the fourth seed in Paris.

In rowing, four Irish crews are on the water this morning contesting semi-finals of their events. Each of the crews will have to claim one of the top three spots in their respective semi-finals if they are to reach their Olympic finals. 

Enniskillen’s Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan are up first for the Irish tomorrow (M2-). In a stacked race they’ll face reigning World Champions GB, as well as the New Zealand duo that were part of the Men’s Eight gold medallists from Tokyo, and have now moved into the pair winning bronze at the most recent World Cup in Poznan. The Romanians have moved between the four, eight and pair over the last two seasons but have solidified their position as a pair, winning silver at this year’s European Championships.

Fiona Murtagh and Aifric Keogh will be watching the Australians and the Lithuanians as the top seeds in the Women’s Pair semi-final (W2-). Australia are the 2023 World silver medallists and have been on the podium at both World Cups that they attested to this year. The Lithuanian pair haven’t been on the podium this year but pulled a very quick time in their heat on Sunday. 

Reigning Olympic Champions Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy go head to head with the Swiss double who pipped them on the line at World Cup II in Varese. This year the Skibbereen pairing were beaten for the first time this Olympiad, coming home with Bronze medals from World Cup II. 

Up against the Tokyo Olympic silver medallists and home crowd France, Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey will have a tough semi ahead of them. They are also facing the Romanian duo who are current European Champions and 2023 World bronze medallists. 

In boxing it’s a big day for Team Ireland’s boxers with defending 60kg champion Kellie Harrington, who gave a tactical masterclass in her opening win, is just one victory away from a historic second Olympic medal. She faces Angie Paola Col Valdes Pana of Colombia, a world silver medallist last year, in the lightweight quarter-finals.

Three-time and current European middleweight (75kg) champion Aoife O’Rourke finally gets to enter the ring at the last 16 stage. The Roscommon fighter takes on Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik, a former world youth champion and four-time European medallist, whom the Castlerea BC woman has beaten four times previously.

Tyrone featherweight Jude Gallagher (54kg) will make his Olympic debut after getting a bye to the last 16. He faces Carlo Paalam of the Philippines who won the Olympic flyweight (52kg) silver medal three years ago.

In sailing, Team Ireland’s Men’s Skiff of Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove, who have been having such a consistent regatta in Marseille in their second Olympic Games together, go into the final three of the fleet races still lying in second position.

The battle to make the top 10 boats for Thursday’s Medal Race (to which all crews carry their cumulative score) is getting particularly fierce. Standings were tightened considerably after Tuesday’s tricky wind conditions and few crews, with the exception of overall leaders Spain, escaped unscathed.

The Spaniards moved into pole position (on 35 points) thanks to two seconds and a third place. Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) are currently on 46 points but New Zealand are just a point behind them. Great Britain are only a further six points adrift and USA are on a score of 58.  

None of the top 15 crews has more than 80 points so all still have a shot of qualifying and the Irish duo will be hoping to keep their scores to a minimum today to guarantee their top 10 spot and a chance to race for the medals on Thursday.

SCHEDULE - Wednesday, July 31

(All times listed are Irish times)

8.20am Badminton, Men’s Singles, Group P, Nhat Nguyen V Viktor Axelsen 

9.44am Rowing, Men’s Pair (M2-), Ross Corrigan & Nathan Timoney, semi-final 2, must finish in top 3 to advance to final 

10.00am Swimming, Women’s 200m Breaststroke, Mona McSharry, heat 1/3, 16 fastest qualify to semis

10.04am Rowing, Women’s Pair (W2-), Fiona Murtagh & Aifric Keogh, semi-final 2, must finish in top 3 to advance to final

10.14am Rowing, Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls (LM2x) semi-final 1, must finish in top 3 to progress to the final

10.44am Rowing, Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls, (LW2x), semi-final 2, must finish in top 3 to progress to final

1.00pm or later,  Badminton, Group L, Rachael Darragh V Carolina Marin (ESP)

1.50pm Sailing, Men’s Skiff, Race 10, Robert Dickson & Seán Waddilove

2.30pm Boxing, Men’s 57kg, Round of 16, Jude Gallagher V Carlo Paalam (PHI)

2.45pm Sailing, Men’s Skiff, Race 11, Robert Dickson & Seán Waddilove

3.37pm Sailing, Men’s Skiff, Race 12, Robert Dickson & Seán Waddilove

4.54pm Boxing, Women’s 60kg, Q-final, Kellie Harrington V Angie Paola Valdes Pana (COL)

7.45pm Swimming, Women’s 200m Breaststroke, semi-finals, Mona McSharry *dependent on progression

8.52pm Boxing, Women’s 75kg, Round of 16, Aoife O’Rourke V Elzbieta Wojcik (POL)

Where to watch?

RTÉ 2 will provide coverage throughout the day, with a live stream available on RTÉ Player also.