Olympic diary: Your guide to when Team Ireland are in action
Opening Ceremony (midnight) in Rio’ de Janeiro’s famed Maracanã Stadium. There will be some archery qualifying this morning.
Dan Martin, fresh from a top 10 finish in the Tour de France, and Nicholas Roche are among the first Irish in action in cycling’s road race (1:30pm). Single sculler Sanita Puspure, gymnast Kieran Behan, boxers Paddy Barnes, David Oliver Joyce and Joe Ward, and the eventing team (dressage) all open their competitions today. Ireland’s first Olympic hockey team in 108 years open their round-robin group against India at 3pm.
In rowing, the lightweight doubles sculls of Skibbereen brothers Paul & Gary O’Donovan and Sinead Jennings/Claire Lambe open their competitions around 12:30pm. Ellis O’Reilly makes Ireland’s Olympic debut in women’s gymnastics from 1:45pm. Boxing’s 69kg prelims include Steven Donnelly, swimmers Fiona Doyle and Shane Ryan (100m backstroke) have heats and possible semis and the hockey team face the might of the Netherlands (10pm).
Annalise Murphy, whose brave bid for gold four years ago won new fans for sailing, and Carlow’s Finn Lynch (laser radial) start their campaigns today (from 5pm). The eventers have the testing cross-country round and many of our boxers and lightweight rowers should be progressing through the rounds.
Mayo swimmer Nicholas Quinn (200m breaststroke) enters the pool today around 5pm, our horseriders will hopefully be vying for medals in the final day of eventing (show-jumping). Sanita Puspure will continue her medal bid in rowing and the ‘Green Machine’ hockey team face the might of reigning championsGermany at 4:30pm.
Michael Conlan’s bid to add Olympic gold to his World, European and Commonwealth titles begins in the 56kg preliminaries from 3pm. Paddy Barnes and Joe Ward and the lightweight rowing pairs should also be in action as will gymnast Kieran Behan if he has got through qualifying.
After all the rows over withdrawals no one will be prouder Irish Olympians than Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power when the men’s four-day golf competition starts, with the first groups teeing off at 11:30am. Three-time badminton Olympian Chloe Magee has her first group game at 1pm and the men’s hockey team face Canada at 3pm.
A hectic day. The second day of the men’s golf tees off at 11:30am. Olympic champion Katie Taylor (60kg) has her opening bout (around 3:30pm) and David Oliver Joyce could be in the men’s 60kg quarter-finals. The athletics programme begins with Mark English (800m heats 2pm), Alex Wright (20km walk, 6pm) and Fionnuala McCormack in the 10,000m final (3:10). Ireland’s two 49er sailing crews Ryan Seaton/Matt McGovern and Andrea Brewster/Saskie Tidey also open their campaigns, as does Scott Evans in badminton. Our rowers could be contesting finals. Prepare for a late one as the men’s hockey team wind up their group against Argentina at 11pm. After midnight, Ciara Mageean appears in the 1500m heats.
Shannon McCurley is Ireland’s first female cyclist to compete in Olympic track (Kierin at 6pm), Brendan Irvine steps into the 52kg boxing prelims, the badminton, sailing and men’s golf continues and Sanita Puspure could be contesting a medal in women’s single sculls (2:30pm). In athletics, Michelle Finn, Sara Treacy and Kerry O’Flaherty compete in the steeplechase heats (2pm) and Mark English could be in the 800m semis (2am).
Could be a big day for our boxers as their competitions move towards the medal rounds and today’s the final of Paddy Barnes 49kg division (6pm). It’s also the final of gymnastics’ men’s floor routine (6pm) and the last round of men’s golf (from 11am). The men’s hockey quarter-finals start at 5pm, Ireland’s sole showjumper Greg Broderick begins his competition (from 2pm) and in athletics, the women’s marathon (1:30pm) will feature Fionnuala McCormack, Lizzie Lee and Breege Connolly and it’s hoped that Ciara Mageean will have made the 1500m semi-finals (1:30am).
Dressage rider Judy Reynolds (6pm) and 3m springboard diver Oliver Dingley (7.15pm) start their competitions while laser sailors Annalise Murphy and Finn Lynch will hope to finish in their medal races (5pm/6pm respectively). Badminton reaches the knock-out stages and Irish boxers, including Katie Taylor, should have reached quarter-finals. The women’s steeplechase final (3:15pm) should have Irish interest, Tomas Barr is in the 400m hurdles heats straight afterwards and if Mark English has made the 800m final (2:25am) you’ll be up late again.
Ireland’s only field eventer, Tori Pena, competes in the pole vault qualifying(1:45pm) and boxing will be getting to high alert stage, especially if David Oliver Joyce has reached the 60kg final (11:15pm) or Joe Ward the light-heavy semi-finals (4:30/10:30pm). If Tom Barr has made the 400m hurdles semis (1:30am) and Ciara Mageean the 1500m final (2:30am) you’ll really be needing matchsticks by now!
Another potentially huge day for Irish boxing as its semi-finals in Katie Taylor’s division (6pm) and a final in Steven Donnelly’s welterweight division (8:30pm). The 800m heats will include Kilkenny’s Ciara Everard (2.55pm) and golfers Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow will make Irish Olympic history when the women’s competition starts at 11.30am.
Modern Pentathlon starts with fencing prelims for Meath’s Natalya Coyle (2pm) and Kilkenny’s European champion Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe (6.30pm), it’s day two of women’s golf and Cork’s Bryan Keane will make his long-awaited Olympic debut in triathlon (3pm). We could have finalists in sailings 49er or 49erFX medal races (5pm/6pm), the men’s 400m hurdles final (4pm) and boxing as it’s the decider in Joe Ward’s light heavyweight division (7:30pm)
Could this be Ireland’s big medal day? Rob Heffernan, retrospectively awarded a bronze medal from London 2012 and making his fifth Olympic appearance, wants to do it ‘on the day’ in the 50km (starts at noon) and he will be accompanied by Donegal’s Brendan Boyce and Alex Wright. Women’s golf reaches the penultimate round, Natalya Coyle will be competing flat out from 4-10pm in modern pentathlon, Greg Broderick could be in the showjumping final (from 2pm) but, at 8pm, if Katie Taylor is defending her title in the 60kg final, the entire country will stop to watch.
Derry triathlete Aileen Reid is looking to make up for that skid on the bike in London when women’s triathlon takes place (3pm), it’s the final round of the women’s golf, Ireland’s European modern pentathlon champion Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe will be competing all day (4-10pm) but all eyes may once again be on the Riocentro Pavilion if bantamweight Michael Conlan (6:15pm) and middleweight Michael O’Reilly (7pm) have reached finals.
As always the men’s marathon – featuring Kevin Seaward, Mick Clohissey and Paul Pollock – dominates the final day (1:30pm) but, before we say farewell to Rio 2016, could flyweight Brendan Irvine supply us with one last shot at gold (6:15pm)?
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