With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, medal predications are popping up in the international media and Ireland is being projected to win a record medal haul. We won 6 medals in London 2012 (with one of those being awarded after the fact following a doping failure) and we won 4 medals, 2 gold and 2 bronze, just 3 years ago in Tokyo.
Gracenote, the sports data company under the Nielsen umbrella group, predicts NINE medals for Ireland. They say we will match our 2 golds from Tokyo and add 2 silver and 5 bronze medals.
They predict the reigning Olympic champions in rowing’s lightweight double sculls, Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, will defend their title. 2 more bronze medals in rowing for the women’s pair of Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh and the men’s double sculls of Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch.
Rhys McClenaghan, the reigning world champion, is Gracenote’s choice for gold in Paris in the pommel horse event in Gymnastics.
Our boxing team is expected to win 3 medals with Kellie Harrington getting silver and Aoife O’Rourke and Shannon Sweeney winning bronze. There’s a slight issue with that last one as Sweeney didn’t qualify but rather than ask too many questions about their methodology, we’ll sub in Daina Moorhouse who did qualify at 50kg.
Rory McIlroy is predicted to win silver in golf and our medal winners are rounded out with Daniel Wiffen winning bronze in the 800m freestyle event.
Italy’s biggest sports website – OA Sport – has also predicted Ireland to win 9 medals but they believe that we will win a remarkable FOUR gold medals, one silver and four bronze.
SEE ALSO: The Full List Of Ireland's Olympics Squad For Paris 2024
Rhys McClenaghan is expected to win gold here too. As are O’Donovan and McCarthy. Keogh & Murtagh and Doyle & Lynch are tipped for bronze again, but OA have also tipped our men’s pair of Nathan Timoney and Ross Corrigan for bronze for a total of 4 medals in rowing.2
Tokyo gold medalist Kellie Harrington is the only Irish boxer tipped to win a medal, bronze in the 60kg lightweight category.
Our eventing team are tipped to win a first even medal – bronze – in the sport.
Daniel Wiffen, tipped for a single bronze by Gracenote, is predicted to gold in both the 800m and 1,500m freestyle events by OA. It would kick off a record breaking Olympics for Ireland in many ways!
So those predicted to win a medal for Ireland in the 2024 Summer Olympics by either organisation:
- Rhys McClenaghan (gold x2)
- Daniel Wiffen (1,500m gold x1, 800m gold x1, bronze x1)
- Paul O’Donovan & Fintan McCarthy (gold x2)
- Aifric Keogh & Fiona Murtagh (bronze x2)
- Philip Doyle & Daire Lynch (bronze x2)
- Nathan Timoney & Ross Corrigan (bronze x1)
- Kellie Harrington (silver x1, bronze x1)
- Aoife O’Rourke (bronze x1)
- Shannon Sweeney/Daina Moorhouse (bronze x1)
- Rory McIlroy (silver x1)
- Eventing team (bronze x1)
So the international press think Ireland are in contention for 12 medals, just based on these predictions. We’ll have our own predictions for Team Ireland closer to the games and, spoiler here, there are names on it that aren’t mentioned by Gracenote and OA.
