Olympics 2024: Team Ireland Results 07.08.24
By Heather Boyle, OFI Head of Communications & Sinéad Naughton, OFI Media Liaison
Wednesday 7th August 2024
Irish track star Rhasidat Adeleke finished second in her semi-final of the women’s 400m to advance to her first ever Olympic final on Friday night. In doing so Adeleke becomes the first Irish woman ever to make a sprint final at an Olympic Games.
In Taekwondo in the repechage round Jack Woolley put in an improved performance, but ultimately lost out to world number two Adrian Vincent Junta of Spain, to bow out of his second Olympic Games.
ATHLETICS
Team Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke advanced to the final of the Women’s 400m in the Stade de France tonight. In doing so the Tallaght athlete makes history by becoming the first Irish female sprinter ever to qualify for an Olympic final.
Adeleke, who was racing in the first of three semi-finals tonight, clocked a time of 49.95 seconds to finish second behind Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain in a seasons best of 49.08.
21-year-old Adeleke will now look ahead to Friday’s final where she knows that she has room for improvement.
“It was very messy, a very messy race. I’m just really excited that I’m able to get into the final, and fix everything for what I need” she said.
“At first he [the starter] held us really long, I think I was ready to go then but when we went again I feel like I was thinking about it too much, and I didn’t execute my first 200m like I should have.
They are all things we can fix for the final. I think I also panicked a little bit which made me break form really early but no I’m excited. I’ve made the final – now I can give it my best shot.
I’ve been in a place where the round may not have went as I wanted it to, but the final went great so I’m not too worried about it.”
Adeleke was given the loudest cheer of all when introduced pre-race and praised the support.
“It was unreal again today, when I got into the blocks I was like ‘let’s do this’ and hopefully it’s going to be the same for the final, I’m sure it will be. I’m so grateful to everyone – it means so much.”
TAEKWONDO
Irish Taekwondo star Jack Woolley got a deserved second bite of the cherry when the man who defied his seeding (10th) and beat him 2-0 in the first round - Azerbaijan’s Gashim Magomedov - went all the way to the -58kg final today.
Anyone beaten by the Azeri beforehand then got a second chance through the repechage system, which pitted Woolley against Spain’s number two seed; Adrian Vincente Yunta, just one fight away from one of the two bronze medal bouts.
The 25-year-old Tallaght star (ranked seventh) was narrowly beaten 2-0 (9-10, 2-2) but the margin of his defeat was tiny.
The first round was toe-to-toe and included a four-point score from Woolley with a great rotating kick to the body. He trailed 6-10 with five seconds to go but then claimed another three-point move and lost it by just 9-10.
His opponent just escaped a gam-jeom (penalty) on the buzzer, when the referee used his video review and Woolley explained: “If his foot had hit that mat before the clock hit 0.0, I would have won that round.”
Both men upped their defence in a very cagey second round which was scored 2-2 draw but Woolley lost it on the judges’ countback.
“I think I scored a gam-jeom and a punch, but he scored a body shot which outweighs them. If it's all equal at the end of the fight, on points, it goes down to contacts,” he explained.
The South Dublin TC star still found great consolation in the quality and closeness of his second fight at the spectacular Grand Palais venue.
“I loved every second of that although the result wasn't there. I'm proud of myself that I showed a true representation of my ability. Me and that Spanish lad have taken matches off each other. I beat him in the European Championships two years ago. He beat me in the final of the European Games last year. Now, he’s beat me by a point at the Olympics.”
Woolley was also greatly consoled that his initial opponent knocked out the Olympic champion en route to the final.
“I did a lot of psychology work recently. I'm enjoying it and I think that's all anyone can ask,” he said. “I hope that showed at home and encourages everybody else to get involved in the sport or keep going in it because we're having fun. It's the Olympics and not every young guy from Tallaght can say he's a two time Olympian.”
TOMORROW
ATHLETICS
Kate O’Connor is the sole Irish athlete in action at the Stade de France tomorrow. The 23-year-old Dundalk woman will make history as she becomes Ireland’s first ever heptathlete to compete at an Olympic Games.
The heptathlon comprises of seven events over a gruelling two days of competition. The order of heptathlon competition is 100m hurdles, high jump, shot, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m, contested over two days.
Tomorrow’s schedule sees O’Connor start with the 100m Hurdles, before she takes on the High Jump. O’Connor ran her hurdles PB of 13:57 last year, and high jump is one of her better events, with a PB of 1.81m from 2019.
In the evening session O’Connor (Dundalk St. Gerald’s AC) will first head to the Shot Put circle before concluding day one of her competition with the 200m. Her best shot put to date is 14.54m from 2021, and her best ever time over 200m is 24:73 seconds.
Last year O’Connor finished 13th in the event at the World Athletics Championships and she will be hoping to build on that performance in Paris.
GOLF
Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow will both need rounds of note tomorrow to climb their way back up the leader board at Le Golf National, after disappointing opening rounds.
Cavan’s Maguire will be the first of the pair out tomorrow teeing off at 9.22am Irish time, with Stephanie Meadow from Antrim out at 9.55am.
RESULTS DAY 12 – MONDAY 7TH AUGUST 2024
Athletics, Women’s 100m Hurdles, Sarah Lavin 2nd in heat in 12.73, straight to semi-final (Aug 9th)
Athletics, Men’s 5000m, Brian Fay, 12th in heat in 13:55.35, does not progress
Taekwondo, Men’s 58kg, Last 16, Jack Woolley beaten by Gashim Magomedov (AZE) 2-0
Athletics, Men’s 800m, Mark English, 2nd in heat in 1:45.15, straight to semi-final (Aug 9th)
Athletics, Women’s 1500m, Sophie O’Sullivan, 4th in Repechage in 4:03.73, does not progress
Athletics, Women’s 1500m, Sarah Healy, 4th in Repechage in 4:07.60, does not progress
Golf, Women’s Individual, Round 1, Stephanie Meadow, round of 78; six-over, in a tie for 50th
Sailing, Men’s Dinghy, Finn Lynch – Rescheduled Medal Race, 8th in medal race, 10th overall
Golf, Women’s Individual, Round 1, Leona Maguire, round of 78; six-over, in a tie for 50th
Taekwondo, Men’s 58kg, Repechage, Jack Woolley Beaten by Adrian Vincent Junta (ESP) 2-0
Athletics, Women’s 400m, Rhasidat Adeleke, 2nd in semi-final in 49.95, straight to final (Aug9th)
SCHEDULE DAY 13 – THURSDAY 8TH AUGUST 2024
(All times are Irish times – Paris is one hour ahead)
9.05am Athletics, Women’s Heptathlon, 100m hurdles, Kate O’Connor
9.22am Golf, Women’s Individual, Round 2, Stephanie Meadow
9.55am Golf, Women’s Individual, Round 2, Leona Maguire
10.05am Athletics, Women’s Heptathlon, High Jump, Kate O’Connor
6.35pm Women’s Heptathlon, Shot Put, Kate O’Connor
7.55pm Women’s Heptathlon, 200m, Kate O’Connor