Irish in Action: You don’t want to be tempting fate, of course, but Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch are in mighty form going into Thursday morning’s double sculls final (10.30am), the bronze medallists from last year’s World Championships impressing yet again in their semi-final win. The Dutch will be the favourites to take gold, the Irish pair the second seeds in the event. But Doyle isn’t ruling out upsetting the odds.
“It’ll take some performance to beat them,” he said, “but I think we have a performance like that in us.”
That’s Wiffen-esque.
And – whisper it – there’s another chance of a medal come the afternoon (1.43), this time in sailing when Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove take part in the final race of the skiff event. After a gruelling week, which involved 12 races in the opening series, they go in to the decider in silver position, behind Spain and ahead of New Zealand. The medal race offers double the points, with scores added to the 10 qualifying boats’ totals from that opening series.
Earlier in the day, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry begin their Olympic campaigns at Le Golf National, scene of Europe’s crushing 17½-10½ 2018 Ryder Cup win over the United States. Asked about how much less tough the rough is at the course than back then, McIlroy replied, with a grin: “Ask the Americans, I wasn’t in it much that week.” Oooh.
Mind you, none of the four Americans competing in Paris – Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark – was on that 2018 team, so they won’t be traumatised by any bad memories. Scheffler, incidentally, is in McIlroy’s group for the first two rounds, so he might remind him of that fact.
The Irish men’s hockey team, meanwhile, need a win today if they are to have any hope of getting out of their group and in to the quarter-finals. After defeats by Belgium, India and Australia, ranked first, fifth and fourth in the world, it won’t get a whole lot easier against an Argentina side who are four places above them in the list at seven. Ireland finish their group campaign on Friday against New Zealand.
We have more Irish competitors in action in showjumping, sailing (dinghy), canoe slalom, swimming and boxing through the day, so if you had plans to head out, cancel them.
Worth a Watch
Actually, never mind ‘worth a watch’, the women’s all-around gymnastics final, which starts at 5.15, could well prove to be unmissable. Fitness permitting, it will feature the one and only Simone Biles and the woman who succeeded her as Olympic champion last time around, Sunisa Lee. Expect bodily manoeuvres you never thought were possible.
Thursday’s Irish schedule (all times Irish)
9.11am: Rory McIlroy (Golf – first round)
9.30am: Zoe Hyde, Alison Bergin (Rowing – double sculls B final)
From 10am: Shane Sweetnam, Daniel Coyle, Cian O’Connor (Showjumping – qualifying)
From 10am: Tom Fannon and Shane Ryan (Swimming – 50m freestyle heats)
10.30am: Philip Doyle, Daire Lynch (Rowing – double sculls A final)
10.44am: Shane Lowry (Golf – first round)
From 11.10am: Finn Lynch (Sailing – dinghy races one and two)
12.15pm: Ireland v Argentina (Men’s hockey)
1.43pm: Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove (Sailing – Skiff medal race)
From 2.30pm: Noel Hendrick (Canoe Slalom – K1 semi-finals, finals)
From 2.30pm: Eve McMahon (Sailing – dinghy races one and two)
7pm: Daina Moorehouse v Wassila Lkhadiri (Boxing – 50kg Round of 16)
9.08pm: Jack Marley v Daviat Boltaev (Boxing – 92kg quarter-finals)
