It was a golden fortnight for the Irish at the Paris Olympics, with gold medals for Daniel Wiffen, Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, Rhys McClenaghan, and Kellie Harrington.
The quartet have joined the truly exclusive company of Dr Pat O'Callaghan, Bob Tisdall, Ronnie Delaney and Katie Taylor as gold medal winners.
The 2024 edition of the Summer Olympic Games was the 22nd time that we've competed at the competition, and we've earned 15 gold medals along the way. For a nation of our size, that is no small feat.
Here's the full list of Irish Olympic gold medallists.
READ HERE: Rhys McClenaghan Sends Remarkable Message To People Of Ireland After Historic Olympic Gold
READ HERE: Paul O'Donovan Had Hilarious Response To Praise After Olympic Gold With Fintan McCarthy
Irish Gold Medals At The Olympics
Pat O'Callaghan - Athletics: Hammer Throw - 1928 and 1932 (2)
When O'Callaghan won hammer gold in 1928, the world and Olympic records were both held by Irishmen. WR holder Patrick Ryan and Matt McGrath were representing the USA though in 1913 and 1912 respectively.
After independence, our first Olympic medal was gold with O'Callaghan's final throw of the hammer in LA. Four years later, he repeated in Amsterdam and remains the only Irishman with tw0 gold medals and the only Irish athlete to win gold in more than one Olympic Games.
Bob Tisdall - Athletics: 400m Hurdles - 1932
Within an hour at the 1932 Games in Amsterdam Ireland had won it's second of the games and the third of our young Olympic history.
Relative novice Bob Tisdall became the first man to under 52 seconds to win the 400m hurdles ahead of USA's Glenn Hardin. As Tisdall had knocked a hurdle down, his world record was not notified with the silver winner getting that title.
Tisdall had the big prize though - an Olympic gold medal.
Ron Delany - Athletics: 1,500m - 1956
Ireland had to wait 24 years and three Olympic games until we could next hear Amhrán na bhFiann play at a medal ceremony.
Wicklow's Ronnie Delany caused a huge upset by winning the 1,500m in Melbourne by out kicking his rivals down the home straight.
Michael Carruth - Boxing: Welterweight - 1992
It was an even longer weight for gold number five - 9 Games and 36 years before Michael Carruth won our first gold in a sport other than track and field athletics in Barcelona.
Carruth's heroic win over the favourite - Juan Hernandez from Cuba - was also the first gold medal to be broadcast live on Irish television.
Michelle Smith - Swimming: 200m & 400 Individual Medley, 400m Freestyle - 1996 (3)
At the Atlanta Games, Michelle Smith broke all sorts of Irish Olympic records; first woman to win a medal, first woman to win gold, first swimming medal, first to win more than one medal at a games (she also won bronze in the 200m butterfly) and more.
She's still Ireland's most decorated Olympian.
Two years after Atlanta, Smith was charged with adulterating an out of competition sample. She received a four year ban, and despite continuing to plead her innocence through the process, she never swam again. She never tested positive for a banned substance.
In terms of the record books, Michelle Smith has won three gold medals at the Olympics for Ireland.
Katie Taylor - Boxing: Lightweight - 2012
A 16 year wait for gold number nine and this one really caught the heart of the nation.
A quietly spoken woman from Bray was the world's most dominant boxer for years, but had to wait for women's boxing to be introduced to the Olympic schedule in 2012. Taylor won three fights and each of them appointment viewing at home in Ireland. Her final win over Russia's Sofya Ochigava was met with waves of celebration.
Her gold medal was the first in the social media age and she became a worldwide star.
Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy - Rowing: Lightweight Double Sculls - 2020 and 2024 (2)
These gold medals for Ireland are the first to be shared by a team, and the first team to repeat gold. The Irish lightweight double sculls boat won silver in Rio and had established itself as the best in the world in the years that followed.
Powered by O'Donovan and McCarthy, they eased through the preliminaries before racing to gold in the early hours of the morning Irish time back in 2021 by beating Germany and Italy to the line.
They then repeated the achievement three years later in Paris. Because of a rocky - by their own standards - year of preparation, O'Donovan and McCarthy entered the Olympics in 2024 as underdogs behind the Swiss and Italian boats, but they put in arguably their greatest Olympic performance jettisoning all opposition to a second consecutive gold in a rout.
2 August 2024; Paul O'Donovan, left, and Fintan McCarthy of Team Ireland celebrate winning the men's lightweight double sculls finals A at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Kellie Harrington - Boxing: Lightweight - 2020(1) and 2024
The 2018 World Champion went into the Tokyo Olympics as the number one seed, but the field was stacked with world and regional medalists. She comfortably qualified for the semi final where she met Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee.
As she had in the world final of 2018, Kellie got the nod in a split decision to make her way to the final. Despite losing the opening round to the 2019 World champion, Brazil's Beatriz Ferreira, she battled back to win the second and third rounds to earn Ireland's 11th gold medal in Olympic history and our third in boxing.
Her affable personality catapulted her into Irish hearts and minds back home.
Kellie would go back-to-back in commanding style in Paris, defeating Fereira once again in the semi-final en route to a second successive gold medal. She announced her retirement immediately after her victory in the final against Yang Wenlu of China.
Harrington steps away with an Olympic record that reads: eight fights, eight wins, two gold medals.
Daniel Wiffen - Swimming: 800m Freestyle - 2024
In a huge Olympics for Ireland in the pool, Daniel Wiffen of Larne produced a remarkable swim in the 800m freestyle in Paris.
Wiffen swam an incredible final 100m to reel in his Italian opponent
30 July 2024; Men's 800m freestyle gold medallist Daniel Wiffen of Team Ireland during the award ceremony at the Paris La Défense Arena during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Rhys McClenaghan - Gymnastics: Pommel horse - 2024
3 August 2024; Rhys McClenaghan of Team Ireland with his gold medal after winning the men's pommel final at the Gymnastics Bercy Arena during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Heartbreak in Tokyo saw Rhys McClenaghan miss out on a gold medal he was in the mix for. There was no repeat in Paris.
A wonderful performance in the final saw McClenaghan card a career-best score of 15.533, leaving him in an unassailable lead in a final of brilliantly high standard.
Fully deserved after a stellar few years, McClenaghan is Ireland's first ever medallist in gymnastics.
Kellie Harrington - Boxing 60kg (2)
6 August 2024; Kellie Harrington of Team Ireland celebrates with her gold medal after defeating Wenlu Yang of Team People's Republic of China in their women's 60kg final bout at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Roland Garros Stadium during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Harrington ended a remarkable boxing career in style by becoming the first Irish woman to win back to back gold medals in Paris. Seeded third, she was near flawless throughout the competition, beating her foe from the gold medal match in a memorable semifinal.
She'd win gold against an opponent who beat her in the 2016 World Championships from China in Roland Garros.
It was Ireland's fourth gold medal of the Paris Olympics.
SEE ALSO: Irish Olympic Opening Ceremony Outfits Feature Wonderful Nod To Home County Of Athletes
