Olympics 2024: Team Ireland Results 10.08.24
By Heather Boyle, OFI Head of Communications & Sinéad Naughton, OFI Media Liaison.
GOLF
There was a positive finish to the Women's Individual Golf Singles for Team Ireland's Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire on Saturday, as both golfers carded under-par rounds at Le Golf National on Saturday.
Despite a difficult start to the week, Meadow has played some brilliant golf over the last two rounds and followed up her 72 on Friday to shoot a two-under-par round of 70 this afternoon, including five birdies. It leaves the 32-year-old on six-over overall and 39th overall at Paris 2024.
Afterwards Meadow said: “It was solid today and I didn’t give it up. It’s been a long four days after starting at six-over so I’m proud of myself I kept going and I got some cheers today from the Irish fans which was great. It’s nice to finish on a positive no matter what.”
On these Games she said: “It’s been fantastic, every Olympics has been amazing but I will say this has probably been my favourite. My husband is here, the team is here, and this is my third one with Leona, she is one of my best friends and it’s pretty cool to share that with everyone close to me, and being the first group on the first day is something I’ll never forget.”
Leona Maguire showed huge character and trademark determination to finish her week with an excellent one-under-par round today. The Cavan golfer carded four birdies on Saturday, including two on the home stretch, to ensure she bounced back and picked up some momentum heading into the Women's Irish Open at Carton House at the end of this month.
Reflecting on the week, Maguire said: "I've felt absolutely rotten the last few days and I know that wasn't the golf I'm capable of but you don't give up until the very end even if it feels like it's too far gone. I suppose it was as much about having a point to prove to myself today because I knew I could handle this golf course and an under-par round, I'll take that.
"I played some really nice golf today. It's a difficult course, you really need your wits about you and you need to be at 100% and I was far from that this week but I'm proud of the way I bounced back today."
On the support she received at Le Golf National, Maguire added: "It's been fantastic, it's some of the biggest crowds we've ever seen, so many tricolours and jerseys. To be honest if it wasn't for all the support I probably would have thought about packing it in but it has been phenomenal, the whole support the Irish team has gotten over the last few weeks, both at home and over here, has been amazing and I'm very grateful to be part of a great team."
In terms of the medals New Zealand’s Lydia Ko holds a five shot lead on 11-under through 12 holes today over Germany’s Esther Henseleit and Australia’s Hannah Green both on six-under currently.
ATHLETICS
The Irish women’s 4x400m relay team finished a heart-breaking fourth in the Olympic final tonight in Paris, despite running a sensational new national record.
The magnificent foursome had already made history when they stepped on the track tonight by being the first ever Irish female relay team to contest an Olympic final, before confirming their status as truly world class with their sensational performance.
Knocking just shy of three seconds off their national record set in June when they won silver at the Europeans, the Irish quartet all ran the race of their lives, and were agonisingly just 0.18 behind the bronze medallists Great Britain on the line.
Becker led the team off and the Wexford woman once again showed her class splitting exactly what she did in the heat (50.90 seconds) to set the team up perfectly.
Adeleke, just over 24 hours after placing fourth in the individual 400m, unleashed her killer speed down the back straight of her leg when she had the baton in hand, moving the team up to second and splitting sub 49-seconds.
A phenomenal effort from Bandon flyer Phil Healy kept the team in contention, before Sharlene Mawdsley anchored the team brilliantly on the final leg.
The Tipperary star ran her fastest ever relay split (49.14 seconds) but was just run out of the medals by Dutch sensation, and double medallist already in Paris; Femke Bol, and Amber Anning of Great Britain who was fifth in the individual 400m final last night.
The race was won by the USA in an incredible new continental record of 3:15.27, with individual gold medallist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone running a phenomenal 47:71 second leg. Netherlands took sliver in a new national record of 3:19.50, just 0.22 seconds ahead of Great Britain in bronze; who also clocked a national record to be barely a metre ahead of Ireland at the finish.