Offaly's super six Olympians
Tadhg Carey
Six Offalians are proudly sporting the Irish colours during the ongoing Olympic Games in Paris.
Offaly’s representation rose to six on Tuesday, when it emerged that showjumper Darragh Kenny had been drafted into the Ireland squad for Paris.
Belmont native Kenny and VDL Cartello were chosen as the combination to replace Bertram Allen and his horse Pacino Amiro, who was ruled out of the Olympic Games, at the eleventh hour, through injury. Allen was the back up in the Irish team to the three chosen competitors, Cian O’Connor, Daniel Coyle and Shane Sweetnam, and Kenny will now become the new alternate.
Kenny already has Olympic Games experience, having represented Ireland in Tokyo in 2021.
During preparations for the Olympics, Pacino Amiro sustained a relatively minor injury which, though not serious, is enough to mean he would not be ready to compete in Paris should he have been required.
Team Ireland Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake said he has utmost faith in Kenny and VDL Cartello.
“Darragh has been jumping full of confidence and had a great win in Falsterbo last week. This combination also has Olympic experience and jumped a clear round in Tokyo to make the individual final. If they’re needed in Paris, I’m sure they will do a great job for the team.”
The team qualifier is on August 1, with the team final on August 2.
Already, though the medal prospects of one of the six is over, after Ireland's Men's Sevens, including Jordan Conroy, narrowly lost out to back-to-back Olympic champions Fiji in the quarter final last night.
It was a heartbreaking defeat as Ireland led for much of the match, and were caught by two late tries, in a game where unforced errors cost Ireland dearly.
It means Ireland now face 5th-8th placings games to decide on their final positions, beginning with a clash with USA at 2pm on Saturday.
Conroy sat out the Fiji game although he was on the bench, having picked up an injury scoring a try at the end of the first half for Ireland in their final pool game, earlier in the day, against New Zealand.
That try put Ireland 12-0 up at the interval, but New Zealand edged it at the end by 14-12, to top the group.
The two defeats on Thursday were in contrast to the two wins on Wednesday to start their campaign.
And it was Conroy who scored Ireland's first try of the Olympics in their 10-5 Pool A victory over South Africa on Wednesday, which was followed by a 40-5 victory over Japan on Wednesday night
In the Women's Rugby Sevens, Tullamore woman Megan Burns gets her Olympics adventure underway on Sunday.
Burns and her Irish team mates are among 12 teams competing in the event.
Ireland begin with a high-profile encounter with Great Britain at 2.30pm on Sunday in Pool B.
Later that evening, they are out again against South Africa, at 6pm, with the final group game on Monday against Australia (1.30pm).
The top eight sides after the group stage will qualify for the quarter-finals, and the tournament will conclude on Tuesday night next, with the gold medal match due to take place at 8pm.
Boxer Gráinne Walsh, from Tullamore, competes in the 66kg women's event and will make her Olympic Games debut this Sunday afternoon (July 28) against Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori.
The draw for the boxing at the Games in Paris took place last evening, and there was a possibility that Walsh might have been given a bye into the round of 16.
That didn't happen, and it means the Offaly woman will be the first Irish female boxer in action at these Olympics when she meets Hamori in the round of 32.
The bout is scheduled for approximately 4.20pm, Irish time, on Sunday.
A win for Gráinne on Sunday would mean she'd come up against Australia's Marissa Williamson, who received a bye, at the round of 16 stage on Thursday afternoon next, August 1.
Walsh is among 20 fighters at her weight division.
Shane Lowry competes in the individual golf event from August 1 to August 4 alongside Irish compatriot Rory McIlroy at the Le Golf National course outside Paris.
Cyclist Megan Armitage, from Shinrone, will be competing in the road race on August 4. The women’s race, which starts and finishes at the Trocadero, an area of Paris across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, is 158km in length, with 1,700m of climbing. Armitage is embracing the event,
“When I started cycling four years ago, I never believed I would have the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Olympics. It truly is a dream come true. I am incredibly proud of the journey I’ve been on to get to this point, and the people who have supported me from the beginning. I hope to do them and myself proud in Paris.”
Offaly’s representation rose to six on Tuesday, when it emerged that showjumper Darragh Kenny had been drafted into the Ireland squad for Paris.
Overall, Team Ireland is comprised of 64 female athletes and 69 male athletes.
In terms of geographical breakdown, the counties with the largest representation are Dublin (34 athletes), Cork (16 athletes), and Down (14 athletes). Only two counties are missing from the list – Westmeath and Leitrim.
History will be made, this year, by marathon runner Fionnuala McCormack when she becomes Ireland’s first female athlete to compete in five Olympic Games. Equestrian athletes Cian O’Connor and Austin O’Connor will become four-time Olympians.
There will be seven three-time Olympians including Olympic Champion Paul O’Donovan. Thomas Barr, Ciara Mageean Mark English (all athletics), Leona Maguire, Stephanie Meadow (both golfers) and Shane Ryan (swimming) complete the list.
The youngest team member is Grace Davison (swimming), at 16 years old, while the oldest is soon-to-be four-time Olympian Austin O’Connor (eventing).