Cheers, tears and cruel twists of fate: The good and the bad from Ireland's Tokyo journey

From soaring highs to plummeting lows, we witnessed the full range of emotions for the Irish competitors in Tokyo

From left to right, Rhys McClenaghan, Mona McSharry and Ireland Sevens star Jordan Conroy. Pictures: Inpho/PA

THE GOOD

Where else to start than with the champions. This was — stating the absolute obvious here — as good as it’ll ever get for Fintan McCarthy, Paul O’Donovan, and Kellie Harrington. It was also a week that may well crown the sporting careers of the Irish women’s four of Emily Hegarty, Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, and Fiona Murtagh, along with Aidan Walsh, though there seems little doubt that all of those are poised to go a step or two higher on the podium if they choose to stick around for Paris 2024.