Olympics 2024: Ireland’s Best Bets For Gold In Paris
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris is fast approaching and with a number of participants expected to challenge strongly in the French capital.
The best betting sites have odds for Ireland’s best gold medal prospects this summer.
When the most recent games were held in Tokyo three years ago, 12 months later than initially planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Team Ireland enjoyed the most joy in rowing and boxing.
In addition to the acclaimed Skibbereen duo of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy picking up gold in the men’s lightweight double sculls, the quartet of Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty secured bronze medals in the women’s coxless four.
Boxers Kellie Harrington and Aidan Walsh both took a medal back home to the Emerald Isle. Harrington won gold in the women’s lightweight, while Belfast native Walsh was a bronze winner in the men’s welterweight.
Considering the most medals that Ireland previously picked up was six at the 2012 Olympics in London, this haul of four wasn’t something to be frowned upon.
Records are there to be broken and with so many members of Team Ireland having high hopes traveling to Paris, the hope is that it will be a summer to remember across the island of Ireland.
Ambitious Adeleke Hoping For Big Things In Paris
Already a high achiever at just 21 years of age (she will turn 22 next month), Dubliner Rhasidat Adeleke will be competing at her first Olympics in Paris.
She will be running from an individual perspective in the 400 metres and having secured a silver medal in the same category at this year’s European Championships in Rome, the Tallaght Athletic Club star won’t be short of ambition in France.
She will face intense competition from the likes of Marileidy Paulino and Nickisha Pryce, but Adeleke is currently rated at 9/2 on betting apps to pick up gold in the Women’s 400 metres.
This is unlikely to be the only chance to see Adeleke in action over in Paris, however, as she is also part of the Irish squad for both the Women’s 4 x 400 metres relay and the Mixed 4 x 400 metres relay.
Those aforementioned European Championships saw Adeleke helping the Irish to silver in the former as well as a superb gold medal in the latter.
It remains to be seen if she will definitely be competing for both of these relay teams over in Paris, but there are more than enough good athletes across both squads to give Ireland a realistic shot at picking up more medals.
Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker and Phil Healy are amongst those aiming to compete in both, while Thomas Barr and Christopher O’Donnell should feature for the mixed relay team.
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Mageean Looking To Build On Recent European Success
Another athlete to produce heroics at the European Championships in Rome was Down’s Ciara Mageean and her superb victory in the Women’s 1,500 metres will give her great confidence when it comes to the same event in the Olympics.
Odds of 33/1 are available on new betting sites on Mageean picking up gold in the 1,500 metres in Paris, but one thing you can take for certain is that the Portaferry woman will leave it all out there on the track.
Harrington And Walsh Searching For More Boxing Medals
Now that Dubliner Harrington finds herself back on the Olympic stage, she will have her sights set on glory in the Women’s 60 kg.
Along with Beatrice Ferreira, Harrington is rated as the joint-favourite for gold by BoyleSports in this weight division in the French capital.
The hope will be that she won’t be alone in competing for boxing medals from an Irish perspective, and with 2020 bronze medallist Walsh also returning to the fray, this could well be a realistic possibility.
Rowers And Gymnast McClenaghan In The Hunt For Medals
It goes without saying that Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy will be expected to feature heavily again in the lightweight double sculls, they are available at Evens for another gold success, but punters can also get behind the coxless rowing pair of Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney at 8/1.
Thanks to his gold medal triumphs on the Pommel Horse at both the European Championships and the World Championships, County Down gymnast Rhys McClenaghan was a popular selection as RTE’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2023.
There will be pressure on him to deliver in Paris, and he is currently 4/6 currently. He could be one of Ireland’s best chances of claiming a gold medal in the coming weeks.
Big Things Expected Of Wiffen
Another native of Down amongst the travelling Team Ireland contingent, swimmer Daniel Wiffen will have three chances of winning a medal in Paris.
The 800 metres and 1,500 metres freestyles are categories he will certainly be looking to target as he claimed gold medals in both at this year’s World Championships in Doha.
His chances in the latter are 12/5, making him second-favourite behind Robert Finke, while he is a 7/4 frontrunner with Ladbrokes in the 800 metres freestyle.
He is also set to compete in the Men’s Open Water 10 km and with BoyleSports offering 8/11 on him to win a gold in any swimming event, it could prove to be a fruitful summer for Wiffen.
Rugby And Golf Hopefuls Amongst Team Ireland Hopefuls
For the first time in the history of the Olympics, Ireland have men’s and women’s teams competing together in the Rugby 7s.
A lot of effort has been put into bolstering the IRFU’s 7s programme in recent years and it will be interesting to see if it can come off in the form of medals in Paris.
Whereas the women’s side (who will be making their Olympics debut) are seen as a 25/1 prospect for rugby 7s gold at the very best, an Irish men’s team that includes current 15s international Hugo Keenan, are being offered as an 8/1 shot.
Meanwhile, there will be Irish interest in golf at the Olympics with both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry competing in the men’s category.
Despite his recent issues at The Open Championship, world number three McIlroy is 13/2 to win gold in Paris and is regarded as the third-favourite overall.
Even though he achieved a respectable sixth-place finish in The Open, Offaly native Lowry is a bit further back in the field with odds of 16/1 being the best odds available on the 2019 Open Champion.
Team Ireland will also have a pair of competitors in women’s golf in the shape of Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow.
While Meadow is seen as a clear outsider for gold at odds of around 300/1, Cavan woman Maguire is available at 20/1 on Olympics betting sites for overall glory.
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