The last time the Olympics were held in Paris was the first time that Ireland competed as an independent nation at the Games.
Back in 1924, the team of 48 athletes were unable to bring home the bacon, however, Ireland did win two medals in the categories of painting and literature.
Jack B Yeats' Liffey Swim secured silver, while Oliver St John Gogarty’s Ode to the Tailteann Games was awarded the bronze medal.
At the most recent edition, Tokyo 2020 – which took place in 2021 due to Covid – Ireland won four medals, two gold and two bronze, in boxing and rowing.
But looking ahead to next summer, there is every chance that there will be more than four medals winging their way home to these shores following the closing ceremony at the Stade de France on 11 August.
So here’s a look at some of the sports that are in contention to produce Olympic medal winners at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
SWIMMING
Man of the moment, Daniel Wiffen, is heading into the Olympic year as three-time European gold medallist, and a world record holder following a remarkable week at the recent short course championships in Romania.
Still only 22 years old, the County Down man is going to his second Olympics, having already swam on the biggest stage, making his debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Ranging from 400m to 1500m, and securing gold as well in the 800m – which also doubled up as his world record race – Wiffen clearly has both the speed and the stamina to make the finals in Paris.
Transferring his short course form to the longer 50m pool for the Games should prove interesting viewing this summer, and while he continues to work towards Paris from his base at Loughborough University, there is every possibility that he will continue to improve over the next six months.
Elsewhere, Mona McSharry was the only Irish swimmer to make a final in Tokyo, however, along with the Sligo woman, several others, including Shane Ryan, Danielle Hill, Ellen Walshe, and dare we say it, Daniel Wiffen’s twin brother, Nathan, will all be eyeing the latter stages this time around.
ATHLETICS
The excitement of Ireland having a real interest in this year’s track will continue to build all the way through the summer with all eyes on Rhasidat Adeleke, who is a real medal prospect at the Paris Games.
The 21-year-old has already proved her credentials on the world stage, just missing out on a place on the podium at last summer’s World Championships in Budapest, finishing fourth in the final.
The Dubliner has dominated on the US college circuit in recent years, and when an athletics legend like Michael Johnson takes time to analyse your technique, it is clear that Adeleke is also being monitored on the elite circuit.
Adeleke is also the national record holder at 200m, however, it remains to be seen if she will opt to compete in both disciplines in Paris.
Another medal prospect and another Irish athlete to finish fourth at the Hungary World Championships, Ciara Mageean had a year to remember in 2023 and the Portaferry woman will be hoping that she can peak next summer and move up one place, at least, to secure a place on the podium in the 1500m.
BOXING
Winning the Olympic gold is tough; doing it again is tougher still, but that is Kellie Harrington’s quest as she returns to the Games as the reigning champion having conquered all before her in Tokyo.
Talk of turning to the professional ranks, to follow in the footsteps of Katie Taylor, was quickly quashed with the Dublin fighter instead opting to plot her own course and remain in the amateur game.
While Katie was a trailblazer for the sport, Kellie will now attempt to complete a unique double, which even proved a bridge too far for the Bray legend, who was unable to match her London heroics in Rio.
Harrington’s dominance in the lightweight division – the same as Taylor, as it happens – was briefly interrupted in 2022 when injury ruled her out of the world championships, however, the natural order was quickly restored at the European Championships later that year with gold.
And Harrington brought that form into 2023 where she won another gold medal at the European Games in Poland, which also doubled up as an Olympic qualifier.
Of course, boxing is Ireland’s most successful sport at the Games, accounting for over 50% of the nation’s total medal haul, and with Michaela Walsh, Aoife O’Rourke, Dean Clancy and Jack Marley also already qualified – with more to follow, no doubt – it should be another impressive outing from the pugilist contingent.
GYMNASTICS
At the recent world championships in Antwerp, there was one Olympic qualification place up for grabs in the men’s pommel, and it was duly snatched by Rhys McClenaghan who beat the best to secure a gold medal win and a ticket to Paris 2024.
The Down man competed at the Tokyo Games, where McClenaghan was tipped for the podium, he eventually came up short in the final, settling for seventh in his maiden attempt on the biggest stage.
But now, three years on, McClenaghan is again showing that he is consistently among the best in the world and has been afforded the luxury of early qualification, with the remainder of the field having to wait until the end of the 2024 World Cup series.
McClenaghan has now won back-to-back world titles and will arrive in Paris brimming with confidence as he continues to set the standards for Irish gymnastics.
"Although it’s an individual sport there is a team behind us as individual athletes and it’s incredible that I have that support from Gymnastics Ireland, from everybody at Sport Ireland. It all works towards that ultimate goal to bring home medals for the country and hopefully we can go one further at the Olympic Games in Paris," said McClenaghan, after being named the 2023 RTÉ Sport Sportsperson of the Year.
ROWING
Threatening boxing to become Ireland’s go-to Olympic medal winners, the Irish rowers have been dominating at world level consistently now for the past decade.
Having won a gold and bronze at the Tokyo Games, Ireland will be looking to at least equal, if not beat, that tally at the Nautical Stadium in Vaires-sur-Marne, located an hour’s drive east of Paris.
Paul O’Donovan will, once again, set the standard for the travelling team as the Skibbereen man will look to secure his third Olympic medal, having won silver with his brother Gary in Rio, followed up with a gold at the Tokyo Games.
In the list of Ireland’s greatest athletes, the ultra-modest O’Donovan ranks among the very best that this nation has produced and his current partnership with fellow West Cork man Fintan McCarthy has proved almost invincible in the lightweight double sculls.
Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty secured that bronze medal in Tokyo, and with six boats already qualified for the Games, more medals should certainly be added to the nation’s tally.
RUGBY SEVENS
Irish rugby missed out on the silverware at the World Cup, however, they are going for gold on a return quest to France with two chances of a medal at the summer Games in Paris.
Rugby Sevens has yet to really capture the imagination at home, however, there is a thriving circuit that travels the world showcasing this exciting variation of the game of rugby union.
Both the men and women’s teams have qualified for the Paris Games, and while the women’s unit is fairly established and mostly a separate entity from the Six Nations selection, the IRFU are looking to see if they can take advantage of having a highly ranked men’s team in order to strengthen the Sevens squad for the Olympics.
Irish rugby is following France, who are expected to name Antoine Dupont in their squad, by looking to the 15s squad to add some additional quality, while also raising the profile of the sport going into the Games.
The IRFU will offer the opportunity to one player from every province, targeting those who have a Sevens background, which means it could open the door for the likes of Robert Baloucoune, Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien, Shane Daly, or Nick Timoney to travel.
CYCLING
Sam Bennett has already experienced glory on the streets of Paris, winning the iconic final stage of the 2020 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées, and doing it in style in the sprint finish while donning the green jersey.
Ireland have two places in the Olympics road race, so form and fitness pending, Bennett should be in contention to swap the green of the sprint champion for the green of his nation to tackle this year’s Olympic course that looks set to favour a sprint finish.
Starting at the Eiffel Tower, the route takes the peloton out of the city and around some great local landmarks, like the Château de Versailles and home of the 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National, before returning to the capital for three loops around the old town, with an emphasis on the tricky climb up to Montmartre.
From there, the race heads back down to the River Seine and around, once again, to the Eiffel Tower for a 230m sprint towards the Trocadero, where Bennett will hope to draw on former glories to power home for a place on the podium.
GOLF
Ireland look set to have four shouts of a medal at the Games with two men and two women likely to tee it up in Paris this summer.
As things stand, it looks like it will be Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry to fly the flag, however, a fit again Seamus Power will be looking for a run of form to challenge for a place on the team.
The women’s duo should, once again, be Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow, having represented Ireland at the Rio Games in 2016 and again in Japan.
The men’s event takes place from 1-4 August at the home of the 2018 Ryder Cup victory for Europe over the USA, and McIlroy will surely look to draw on those winning experiences where the home side came storming back from a slow start to win by seven points.
Le Golf National will certainly favour the European players, and while McIlroy and Lowry will be confident, they will want to look out for a return of the famous 'Moli-Wood’ partnership as Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood – stars of that Ryder Cup – will also be looking to return to relive former glories.
The women’s event runs for four days following the finish of the men’s competition, and both Maguire and Meadow can certainly put themselves in the mix if they find their form around the difficult Paris track.
