We know, we know, the 2016 Summer Olympics are aaaaaaaaageeees away. Qualifying for the games is already underway however so we thought we'd profile the athletes you should be looking out for over the next year and a half. Exciting times for Irish sport!
1) Katie Taylor – Boxing Lightweight
Do we have to explain why she’s our best medal shout? Taylor is approaching a decade unbeaten in fights and won Ireland’s only gold medal at the 2012 games. She has won the last 5 World Championships, the last 6 European Championships and she’s by far the most popular sportsperson in Ireland. She’s a national treasure.
2) Rory McIlroy – Golf
Professional Golf is introduced to the games and that’s a good thing for Ireland. With the top 15 qualifying (and then a limit of 2 per nation from the rest), it’s likely that we’ll have 2 male golfers teeing off in Rio. Shane Lowry may catch Graeme McDowell for the second spot but there’s no doubting our best chance for a medal lies with world number one Rory McIlroy. After announcing he’d play for Ireland last year, he hasn’t stopped winning big tournaments. In the women’s tournament young Stephanie Meadows could spring a surprise too.
3) Joe Ward – Boxing Light Heavyweight
Joe Ward should probably already have an Olympic medal. Injury and some iffy decisions cost him his chance of a London medal but the 2013 World Championship medallist is still only 21. He amazingly won the European Gold aged only 17 in 2011. Only 8 Irishmen have won medals at the World Championships. He has every chance of adding an Olympic medal to his haul next year.
4) Paddy Barnes – Boxing Light flyweight
Belfast’s Paddy Barnes is the only irish boxer to win 2 Olympic medals and he’ll be looking for 3 in a row in Rio. The former European champion is currently told of the WSB ranks and if he stays there that will be enough to secure qualification for Rio. If Barnes qualifies, he’ll be looking for more than Bronze this time.
5) Bertram Allen – Showjumping
19-year-old wonderkid Bertram Allen won another 3 star event in Germany last week and is sure to break into the World Rankings top 10 when they’re next announced. Last year he finished 7th in the World Championships and he’s won 2 World Cup events so far this season. Did we mention he’s only 19? The young man is being touted as the hottest talent in the sport of show jumping. The show jumping team just missed out on qualifying for Rio at the World Games (finishing 7th) but should secure it at the European games later this year. They could send a strong team to Rio with Denis Lynch and Darragh Kenny ranked inside world top 30.
6) Sam Bennett – Cycling Road Race
Irish cycling is going through another golden age at the moment. If Ireland repeats its’ world tour performances from 2014 in 2015 then we’ll be sending 5 lads to the road race. Dan Martin is clearly our greatest cyclist and the Garmin-Cannondale man can win any race. Phil Deignan and Nicolas Roche are very strong riders who should flourish this year with Sky. However for Ireland’s best hope of a medal we’ll plump for Carrick’s own Sam Bennett. He is getting stronger with each race and the Rio course looks made for him. The hill should take away the pure sprinters but with a flat 20k to the finish, the fastest men left will fight for the medals. Martin and Bennett could be there.
7) Rob Heffernan – Athletics 50k Walk
Cork’s Rob Heffernan is the current World Champion and may eventually get a medal from the 2012 Olympics. He probably would be higher on this list if he hadn’t have been suffering from injuries for the past year or so. He had to abandon the 50k race in the European Championships where he was clearly off the pace. If Heffernan gets his preparations right for Rio he has every chance of another medal.
8) Michael Conlan – Boxing Bantamweight
Another medallist from London, Conlan followed that up with silver at the Europeans in 2013 and gold at the Commenwealth Games last year. He’s also trying to qualify through the WSB where he currently ranks second. Conlon was beaten in the quarter finals of the 2013 World Champs but it would shock nobody if Conlan repeated his London achievement in Rio.
9) Annalise Murphy – Sailing Laser Radial
For a brief few days in the summer of 2012 the nation became sailing experts. Young Dubliner Annalise Murphy came heartbreakingly close to a medal in her first games before eventually being ousted at the last race. Her form has been up and down since but she did win the European Championships in 2013 and easily qualified for the Olympics in 2014. Can she go one spot further in Rio and reach the podium?
10) Sanita Puspure – Rowing Single Sculls
Latvian born Sanita Puspure may be the lowest profile athlete on our list. Resident in Cork, she earned her Irish citizenship in time to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. She has clearly improved with each year at the top level and finished 4th at the World Championships in 2014, only one second off a bronze medal. Irish rowing has never won an Olympic medal, despite several close calls, and Sanita looks to be our best hope in 2016.
11) Team – Three Day Eventing
The Irish Three Day Eventing Team finished 6th at the World Championships in 2014 and became the first Irish athletes to qualify for Rio. They also finished 5th at the London Olympics. Dressage has always been the downfall for Irish eventers but the signs are good as the look to improve that aspect of the sport. Individually Aoife Clarke finished 7th in London and she is again our top ranked eventer.
12) Mark English – Athletics 800m
The Donegal man has already won medals indoor and outdoor at European Championship level and he’s still very young at the event. He may not have the fast times to compete with the best in the world yet, but he’s already proved he’s a championship performer. Ireland has had one Olympic medallist on the track in the last 50 years and English is our best chance of another in Rio.
13) Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern – Sailing 49er
The duo who finished 12th in London have continued to improve and jumped to 7th in the 2014 World Championships. That was enough to qualify the boat for Rio with plenty to spare. They currently stand 16th in the World Rankings but with Rio secured, it looks like all their focus is on medalling there.
14) Liam Jegou – C1 Canoe Slalom
We’ve come close to medalling in kayaking before but Liam Jegou represents our best ever hope in the C1 class. The youngster won a silver medal in 2014 at the World Junior Championships and they have a proven record of providing medal winners at the elite level. Living in France, Jegou may have a better chance of winning in Tokyo but he’s hopeful of qualifying for Rio and such is the craziness of the sport that anything could happen.
15) Martyn Irvine – Track Cycling Omnium
Martyn Irvine is a 3 time world championship medallist, including one gold, in track cycling and is clearly an elite cyclist. However he has won those medals at non Olympic events. He finished 13th in the omnium (6 different track events combined) in London but will look to improve on that in Rio. He may be challenged for the Irish team spot by Ryan Mullen. Mullen is only 19 but has finished fourth in the pursuit in 2014. He won silver at the under-23 time trial world champs on the road too. Whoever gets the spot could sneak into medal contention.
No pressure lads.
