Irish in action at the Olympics today:
- Leona Maguire (Golf). Finished 59th.
- Stephanie Meadow (Golf). Finished 39th.
- 8.14pm – Women’s 4x400m Relay (Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy, Sharlene Mawdsley). Finished fourth in national record
Here is Ian’s final report from Paris on an agonising night for the Irish relay team:
“When is fourth place in an Olympic final anything other than agonisingly close, but in finishing just outside the medals in the 4x400 metres relay inside the Stade de France on Saturday night, the Irish women’s quartet could hardly believe how close they had come.”
That’s all from me, good night!
Another three by Curry! McCarthy calls it “the best display of my lifetime”. That should be that. 98-87 to USA
USA win gold!
Another brilliant three by Curry within two minutes, but France respond. Six between them with a minute and a half left. And another by Curry! USA 93 France 84
Only three points in it, USA 82 France 79! Three minutes to go, then Curry drains a three! USA 85 France 79.
It’s USA 80 France 70 with just over six minutes left in the Olympics basketball final.
Great final in the basketball with the iconic Timmy McCarthy on commentatary on RTÉ. Big mistake by Durant at the end of the half means France are within six points. 72-66 to USA. Wembanyama having a fine game and Fournier getting some threes against the mighty Americans.
In the Olympics basketball final, USA lead France 49-41 at half-time in the gold medal match.
Interesting observation from Cathal Dennehy:
Here was that interview on RTÉ:
Ian O’Riordan reports from Paris:
“A heroic effort to chase an Olympic bronze medal has seen Ireland finish just outside the medals in the women’s Olympic 4x400 metres relay, the quartet of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley finishing fourth, smashing their national record with a time of 3:19.90.
“The USA team were the clear winners of the gold medal in 3:15.27, but the battle for the other medals was agonisingly close, the Dutch winning silver in 3:19.50, just ahead of Great Britain in 3:19.72.
“Then came Ireland in 3:19.90, Mawdsley just short of bringing them onto the podium, after Adeleke’s sensational second leg of 48.92 seconds had moved them up into second.”
Sophie Becker is emotional on RTÉ: “We couldn’t have done anymore. It’s the definition of bittersweet. I don’t know.”
Rhasidat Adeleke: “I’m proud of the team, we are breaking so many barriers. It’s only onwards and upwards from here. We put our best selves on the track.”
Phil Healy: “To come fourth in an Olympic Games is madness. The support was unbelievable. To come away with fourth is very special,” she says teary-eyed.
Sharlene Mawdsley: “When you’re out in that last leg, you do feel it’s your fault. I’m pretty devastated, I just wish I could have done it for the girls. It’s heartbreaking. I did my best, I’m devastated I couldn’t hold on, the future of sprinting is so bright.”
Ah Sharlene, you ran 49.1 in 400 metres. Not close to being your fault. Brilliant run.
Sophie Becker points out it’s Sharlene Mawdsley’s birthday today, she says thanks but it’s a bitter birthday for her. She should be proud though it was the fastest run of her life.
Ireland run 3.19.90, national record. Adeleke running 49 seconds flat. Mawdsley under 50 seconds and Becker, Healy under 51 seconds. Ran out of their skin.
0.18 seconds behind Britain.
Leg 4: Gold for America. Mawdsley fights for it but Bol is too strong in the final 50 metres. Netherlands 2nd, Britain 3rd.
Ireland finish 4th! So close! Irish record
Leg 3: Phil Healy is holding on well and gives it to Mawdsley on the final leg but has Britain and Netherlands on them.
Leg 2: Adeleke is flying it and moves into second place! Adeleke doing everything she can. Brilliant run as America lead by miles. Jamaica dropped the baton.
Leg 1: Williams with a strong start for Jamaica, Shamier Little for USA too and Klaver for Netherlands.
Some big guns in for other teams as well as Adeleke for Ireland. Bol for Netherlands, McLaughlin-Lavrone for USA, Amber Anning for Britain.
Ireland’s 4x400 women’s relay coming up next! Ireland’s team of Sophie Becker, Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy, Sharlene Mawdsley. They won silver in the European Championships in 3:22.71 behind Netherlands. Netherlands in the field here, with USA heavy favourites.
Lane 2: Canada
Lane 3: Belgium
Lane 4: Ireland
Lane 5: Netherlands
Lane 6: United States
Lane 7: Britain
Lane 8: Jamaica
Lane 9: France
Men’s 4x400m relay: Thrilling race! 200m Tebogo nearly took it for Botswana, never won a medal before this Olympics. USA win as Rai Benjamin holds off the Botswanian for an Olympic record time of 2.54.43. USA gold, Botswana silver and Britain bronze.
High jump: Great day for New Zealand as Hamish Kerr takes gold in the jump-off. Kerr gold, McEwen silver, Barshim bronze.
Women’s javelin: Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi has won the gold with a throw of 65.80m
Men’s high jump: A jump off between New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr and USA’s Shelby McEwen after they both jumped 2.36 metres.
Up next on the track is 4x400m men’s. Then the women’s and Ireland’s big hope.
Women’s 1500m: Faith Kipyegon wins gold for Kenya, no surprises there! But a third gold in a row is quite the achievement. Great runs by Australia’s Jessica Hull for silver and Britain’s Georgia Bell for bronze. Kipyegon breaks the Olympic record with 3.51.29. Very fast race. Left to wonder how Ciara Mageean would have done after beating Bell in the Europeans, but Bell broke the British record and Mageean would have had to significantly beat her personal best to medal there.
Men’s 5000m: Gold for Ingebrigtsen, three Ethiopians went early but ran out of steam and the Norwegian wins by a large distance. He gets his gold after the disappointment of the 1500m missing a medal. Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi gets silver and USA’s Grant Fisher gets bronze. Winning time of 13.13.66. Race set up perfectly for the Norwegian as nobody made a move and Ingebrigtsen with the 1500m experience was simply too good.
Men’s 5000m: Ethiopia’s Yihune leads and Ingebrigtsen in fifth is just waiting to kick with four laps to go.
Men’s 5000m: Four minutes gone in that one, Ingebrigtsen not going to the front here, just staying in the pack. Gianmarco Tamberi, the defending champion, is out of the high jump meanwhile.
Women’s 100m hurdles: Tight finish, close for France but the home nation takes a medal. USA’s Masai Russell wins gold with 12.33, Cyréna Samba-Mayela wins silver with 12.34, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn with 12.36.
Men’s 800m final: What a start to the night! Thrilling finish and fast race, only a second off the world record. Gold for Kenya, Emmanuel Wanyonyi just holds off a fast-finishing Marco Arop from Canada. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati gets the bronze. Wanyomi runs 1.41.19. Only the great David Rudisha’s 1.40.91 and Wilson Kipketer are faster all-time.
Some Olympics news from earlier:
- Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry have been selected as Ireland flagbearers for Olympics closing ceremony
- Lydia Ko wins the Olympics golf gold as Leona Maguire reveals illness
- Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola wins Olympics marathon as Kipchoge fails to finish
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the final night of sporting action in the Olympics on the track, and Ireland have one more shout of a medal, in the women’s 4x400m relay. The team confidently qualified for the final without star sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke, but the Tallaght woman is back for the final to join Sophie Becker, Phil Healy and Sharlene Mawdsley. USA are likely to win gold but after that it’s all to play for with Britain and Netherlands among the main other competitors.
There are also several other finals on the track and field at the Stade de France - the men’s high jump, men’s 800m, the women’s javelin, the women’s 100m hurdles, the men’s 5000m, the men’s 4x400m relay and the women’s 1500m final. Unfortunately Ciara Mageean isn’t in that one after injury but it promises to be a great night of athletics, with Jakob Ingebrigtsen running in the 5000m final.
There is also one of the most anticipated team events of the Olympics, the men’s basketball final with USA’s dream team of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant et al against home nation France led by young star Victor Wembanyama. That starts at 8.30pm after the athletics. We also have the women’s soccer final between Brazil and USA.
