Devastating backhand nets glory for Mahony

The second Irishman to win an Olympic medal was Harold Segerson Mahony (1867-1905).

He also won it in lawn tennis, but — unlike John Pius Boland — Mahony was recognised as an accomplished tennis player.

The Olympics in Paris in 1900 were little more than a sideshow of the World’s Fair. The tennis schedule was only confirmed the week before the competition began.