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Tokyo 2020: The 20 unforgettable moments

Updated / Monday, 9 Aug 2021 16:21
Kellie Harrington's mother Yvonne and older brother Christopher celebrate outside the family home on Portland Row
Kellie Harrington's mother Yvonne and older brother Christopher celebrate outside the family home on Portland Row

Those 16 days flew by, didn't they? Just over two weeks ago, Tokyo kicked off the delayed Olympics. In the blink of an eye we've come to the end of a Games in which Team Ireland enjoyed their fair share of memories, while records tumbled aplenty.

There's no time like the present to relive some of the most resonant memories from Tokyo 2020, with the following 20 leaving their imprint on the imagination. Let's have a look back, as they happened.

1. Jack Woolley's bravery in defeat

The first ever Irish taekwondoin to participate at the Olympics, the Tallaght native's Games ended in cruel fashion on the opening day. Just seconds from beating Lucas Guzman of Argentina in their last-16 encounter, the match turned on its head following a last-gasp trunk kick.

But what really stood out was the way in which a clearly emotional Woolley bravely stepped in front of the mic afterwards and wore his heart on his sleeve in the immediate wake of his Olympics coming to an end.

2. Hockey history

Ireland ultimately didn't qualify for the knockout stage but history was made by an Irish women's team with plenty of past accomplishments behind them. In the nation's first ever Olympic appearance, they won their debut match 2-0 against South Africa, and it was Roisin Upton who had the honour of scoring the maiden goal at this level.

3. Mona makes her mark

The pool also delivered memorable moments for Ireland and Mona McSharry made her mark by qualifying for an Olympic final in the 100m breaststroke and finished top-eight in the world in that discipline.

4. Wiffen the record-breaker

Across a longer distance in the pool, Daniel Wiffen won his heat in the 800m and while he did not advance to the final, he did set a new national record in the process at the end of a gruelling heat. Then three days later, he returned to win his 1,500m heat and set another Irish record.

5. Quartet deliver first Irish silverware

Like boxing, rowing has become a source of potential medals for Ireland and it was the quartet of Emily Hegarty, Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe and Fiona Murtagh who won bronze in the women's four, thereby delivering the nation's first podium finish of Tokyo 2020 on day five.

6. Kurt Walker's fearlessness pays off

Before his fight against favourite Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov, Kurt Walker had told RTÉ Sport that the top seed had "two arms, two legs like myself. I don't care about him. He needs to worry about me".

It wasn't idle talk because the Lisburn boxer pulled off a shock by beating the Uzbekistan fighter to reach the quarter-finals.

7. Hong Kong pool pioneer with Irish connections

Siobhan Haughey made history for Hong Kong by winning their first Olympic swimming medal with silver in the 200m freestyle. The Irish connection? She is the grandniece of former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey and it was the first of two medals for her in Tokyo.

8. Skibbereen rules the world

Five years on from a famous silver-medal performance alongside his brother Gary, Paul O'Donovan returned to the Olympics and went one better as he and Fintan McCarthy won Ireland's first gold of Tokyo 2020 in the lightweight double sculls as Skibbereen continued to rule the waves.

9. Walsh boxes his way to bronze

Sadly, Aidan Walsh was unable to fight for a place in the welterweight final due to injury, but he shone in booking his place in the semi-finals and securing Ireland's first boxing medal in Tokyo.

10. Relay runners reach final at first attempt

Cillin Greene, Phil Healy, Sophie Becker and Chris O'Donnell set a national record en route to putting Ireland into the final of the 4x100m mixed relay.

11. Shared glory the height of solidarity

Rather than trying to outdo each other in the high jump, Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi agreed to share gold - a poignant moment not just with the joyous way they celebrated together but also given how the latter had endured injury heartbreak in previous years.

12. A Lazarus moment

When Netherlands' Sifan Hassan fell with 400m to go in the women's 1500m heats, her hopes looked to have gone up in smoke. Instead, she rose and ran to victory in that preliminary race.

13. The greatest race of all time?

Norway's Karsten Warholm shattered his own world record to win 400m hurdle gold but in an extraordinary race, USA's Rai Benjamin and Brazil's Alison Dos Santos also finished inside the previous pre-Warholm standard.

14. Boomshakalaka

Timmy McCarthy's passionate commentary of Olympics basketball is always a highlight of the Games and he was behind the mic for one of the most-anticipated matches of the men's tournament.

15. Biles makes her comeback

A global breakout star of Rio 2016, Simone Biles endured a difficult Games fives years on as she pulled out of a host of events which she had been favoured to win. But the US gymnast eventually overcame the 'twisties' to claim a bronze medal – her seventh in all as an Olympian.

Like tennis player and Japan's home favourite Naomi Osaka who lit the flame for the Games, she also put a spotlight on the issue of mental health in sport, with Rory McIlroy and Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan among those to back her decision to withdraw from certain events.

16. Extraordinary women's 400m hurdle final

Just like the men's 400m hurdles, the women's final also proved to be mesmeric and record-breaking as Sydney McLaughlin beat her USA team-mate Dalilah Muhammad to gold.

17. Hakuna Matata

We know the phrase from the Lion King but Kellie Harrington gave it a new meaning.

18. Another Olympic record falls by the wayside

The fast track provided a host of outstanding races and the women's 1500m final was no different as another record fell.

19. Diver leaps into top 10

Mayo-born and raised but racing for Australia where she emigrated to in 2002, Sinead Diver's story was extraordinary enough in and of itself. Having taken up distance running in her 30s after the birth of her first child, she finished a remarkable 10th in the women's marathon at 44, showing age is no barrier to success.

20. Super Sunday for Ireland's golden girl

Down narrowly in the first round on Sunday, Kellie Harrington had it all to do. But with a show of composure and skill, the Dubliner secured Ireland's second gold medal of Tokyo 2020 and went down in history as the country's third Olympic boxing champion. Cue an outpouring of joy in Portland Row and beyond.

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