The Irish men's 4x200m freestyle relay team finished eighth in their semi-final at the Olympic Games on Tuesday. It was the first time that an Irish swimming relay team has competed at the Games since 1972. They were also the first Irish men's team to race at the Olympics.
Jack McMillan took the team out, and was followed by Finn McGeever, Brendan Hyland, and Shane Ryan. Overall, they finished 14th in the event.
Speaking to RTÉ's Paul O'Flynn after the race, their elation at competing in the Olympics was clear.
"It was crazy, the most insane race I've ever swam in," said Tipperary 20-year-old McGeever.
"The pool was insane, it's crazy - I know I've already said that! I'm so blown away by it. It's massive. Coolest thing I've ever done.
"It's been my dream to come here all my life. I've been in the village, seen the rings everywhere."
Ryan swam despite having to pull out of the 100m backstroke on Friday due to an injury.
"I was going to swim with one arm," said the 2016 Olympic semi-finalist.
I had to be here with the boys. That's one of the reasons why I had to scratch the 100m backstroke. The relay is the most important thing. We made history today. I was just so happy to be in the water, and be here with them.
Both Hyland and McMillan made sure to highlight the contributions of reserves Jordan Sloan and Gerry Quinn.
"It's deadly," said Hyland.
"I've been around for years, and these are the biggest teams we've had. It's consistently the biggest team we've had. It does help because today we had six lads in one apartment, all racing tonight. We bounce off each other. You say it's an individual sport, but it's a team [effort] to get us where we are.
"A huge shout out to Jordan and Gerry. They qualified it. Just the way it played out, we were the lucky ones swimming."
The Ireland team of Shane Ryan, Jack McMillan, Finn McGeever and Brendan Hyland chat to @OFlynnPaul
after their 4x200m heat #olympics #tokyo2020 #RTESport
📺 Watch live - https://t.co/XnOP6grnB7
📱 Report – https://t.co/c4CitSBRL1 pic.twitter.com/riyNoA7eFy— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 27, 2021
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