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 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.
Four Irish rowing crews will be on the water this morning, contesting the semi-finals of their events. If they are to reach the Olympic finals, each crew will have to claim one of the top three spots in their respective semi-finals.
Enniskillen’s Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan are up first for the Irish (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. Today will be a test to see whether the last few weeks of training have worked in their favour.
Up against the Tokyo Olympic silver medallists and home crowd of 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. 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 will face 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 today’s tricky wind conditions, and few crews, with the exception of overall leaders Spain, escaped unscathed.
The Spaniards moved into pole position (35 points) thanks to two seconds and a third place today. Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) are currently on 46 points, but New Zealand is just a point behind them. Great Britain is only a further six points adrift, and the USA is on a score of 58.
None of the top 15 crews has more than 80 points, so all still have a shot at qualifying. The Irish duo will hope to keep their scores to a minimum tomorrow to guarantee their top 10 spot and a chance to race for the medals on Thursday.
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.
Today’s Team Ireland Schedule
With thanks to the Team Ireland Media group providing a great service from Paris
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