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All times are Irish and indicate the start time of the entire session. Individual events often take place later. For current tee times, see Olympics.com/Tokyo-2020
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Team Ireland’s rower Sanita Puspure is training on the Sea Forest Waterway ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Brendan Moran / Sportsfile
00:30 – Rowing: * Sanita Puspure, single scull hope run; Paul O’Donovan, Fintan McCarthy, light double sculls heats; Aoife Casey, Margaret Cremen, light double sculls heats; * Philip Doyle, Ronan Byrne, double sculls of hope; Monika Dukarska, Aileen Crowley, women’s pair preliminary runs
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Team Ireland ice hockey players, from left, Ayeisha McFerran, Roisin Upton, Lena Tice and Deirdre Duke, pictured on the day they picked up their Olympic equipment. Photo: Brendan Moran / Sportsfile
Regardless of how you fare in Tokyo, the Irish women’s hockey team will make their name into history by participating in the Olympic Games for the first time. But Sean Dancer’s protégés will not only take part. The team caught the nation’s attention back in 2018 when they took a roller coaster ride to the World Cup final, where they won silver, and hopes are high that they can relive that magic. They did well at the recent European Championships, but firmly believed they had learned important lessons that will be used in Tokyo. Ireland will have to finish in the top four of the six-team group to make it to the quarter-finals, which will prove difficult as group rivals Netherlands, India, Great Britain and Germany are all above them in the rankings.
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00:30 – Rowing: * Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh, Emily Hegarty, women 4 heats and a hope run; * Paul O’Donovan, Fintan McCarthy, light double sculls hopefuls; * Aoife Casey, Margaret Cremen, light double sculls hopefuls; * Monika Dukarska, Aileen Crowley, ladies pair hope
11:00 – Swimming: Shane Ryan, 100 m back run; Mona McSharry, heat 100m chest; Danielle Hill, heat 100m back
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0:30 – Rowing: * Sanita Puspure, single-seater quarter-finals; * Philip Doyle, Ronan Byrne, double sculls semifinals; * Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh, Emily Hegarty, Women 4 Repechage
02:30 – Swimming: * Darragh Greene, 100m breaststroke final; * Ellen Walshe, 100m butterfly finals; * Shane Ryan, 100m backseat semifinals; * Mona McSharry, 100m chest semi-finals; * Danielle Hill, 100m back semifinals
Five Olympic gold medals, 15 world championship titles, 14 world records – however you look at Katie Ledecky’s career, she is undisputedly next to the real greats of world sport. The 24-year-old American beat swimming at the 2016 Games in Rio and set world records in the 400m and 800m freestyle. In Tokyo she will win gold in both disciplines as well as over 200 m and 1500 m. In Rio, she became the first female swimmer to win the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle since 1968, and few would bet that she would repeat that feat next week.
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Team Ireland’s Rugby 7s Team: Back row, from left, Gavin Mullin, Adam Leavy, Jack Kelly, Harry McNulty, Terry Kennedy, Jordan Conroy, Bryan Mollen. Front row, from left: Hugo Lennox, Foster Horan, Billy Dardis, Mark Roche, Greg O’Shea and Ian Fitzpatrick
0:30 – Rowing: * Paul O’Donovan, * Fintan McCarthy, lightweight double sculls, semifinals ; * Aoife Casey, * Margaret Cremen, easy double sculls semifinals; * Monika Dukarska, Aileen Crowley, pair semi-finals
02:30 – Swimming: * Shane Ryan, 100 m back final; * Mona McSharry, 100m Breast Final; * Danielle Hill, 100m Back Final; * Ellen Walsh, * Brendan Hyland, 200m Butterfly Semifinals
4:00 am – Sailing: Annalize Murphy, Laser Radial Fleet Race; Sean Waddilove, Robert Dickson, 49er Fleet Race
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00:30 – Rowing: * Sanita Puspure, single scull semifinals; * Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh, Emily Hegarty, Women 4 Finals; * Philip Doyle, Ronan Byrne, double scull finals
02:30 – Swimming: * Darragh Greene, 200m chest, semifinals; * Ellen Walshe, 200m medley final; * Brendan Hyland, 200m butterfly finals; 4x200m relay race
03:00 – Boxing: * Emmet Brennan, light heavyweight, round of 16; * Michaela Walsh, featherweight quarterfinals; Brendan Irvine, flyweight round of 32; * Aoife O’Rourke, Middleweight Round of 16
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Golf may have been a controversial addition to the Olympic program prior to the 2016 Games, but there is no doubt its popularity is growing at the Games, and it will be even more so on Irish shores when Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry , Leon Maguire or Stephanie Meadow can submit a medal. The small number of participants in Tokyo will help their cause as only 60 participants can take part in each tournament at the Kasumigaseki Country Club. Many of the world’s best will be absent from the men’s race, with Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Lee Westwood eliminated. The US will have a strong hand with Bryson Dechambeau, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele, while Jon Rahm will hoist the flag for Spain. For the women, Maguire and Meadow hope to improve on their 2016 performance in Rio, where they finished 21st and 31st respectively.
00:30 – Rowing: * Paul O’Donovan, Fintan McCarthy , Lightweight double scull final; * Aoife Casey, Margaret Cremen, lightweight double scull final; * Monika Dukarska, Aileen Crowley, women’s pair finals
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Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan from Ireland celebrate with their gold medals after the men’s lightweight double scull A final on day three of the 2021 European Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy. Photo by Roberto Bregani / Sportsfile
In the wee hours of Thursday, July 29, a nation will hold its breath as Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy battle for gold in the men’s lightweight double-finals in Tokyo. Ireland have no better chance of a gold medal at the Games than the Skibbereen duo and the truth is, Ireland has probably never had such a strong favorite in the history of the Games. The main reason for this is the way in which McCarthy and O’Donovan sacked their main Olympic rivals in April to win the European title and produced a climb in the final quarter of the 2000m that none of their rivals did could achieve. There’s a lot of water to cross before they’re at the top of the podium, but they have both the class and the serenity to get there. Set your alarms for this one.
2:30 – Swim: * Darragh Greene, 200m Breast Final; * Daniel Wiffen, 800m freestyle final; * Mona McSharry, 200m breaststroke semifinals
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Simone Biles is widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time, and for good reason. The 24-year-old American has the most world medals in history with 25, including 19 gold medals, and is alone with five all-around world championships. At the 2016 Games in Rio, she won gold four times: Allround, Team, Vault and Floor. She is an athlete who pushed the boundaries of her sport with four original skills named after her. Earlier this year, she became the first woman in history to land the Yurchenko pike vault in the competition. Enjoy it while it’s still there, because there may never be another that is this good.
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01:00 – Athletics: Thomas Barr, heats 400m hurdles; Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner, Nadia Power, Louise Shanahan, 800m prelims; Mixed 4x400m relay races
04:00 – Sailing: Annalize Murphy, Laser Radial Fleet Races; Sean Waddilove, Robert Dickson, 49er Fleet Race
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3:00 – Boxing: * Brendan Irvine, flyweight round of 16; * Aoife O’Rourke, Middleweight Quarterfinals; * Michaela Walsh, featherweight semi-finals
10:30 am – Athletics: Mark English, 800m prelims, Sarah Lavin, women’s 100m hurdles; * Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner, Nadia Power, Louise Shanahan, 800m semifinals; * Mixed 4x400m relay finals
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Japan has no bigger sports star than Naomi Osaka, and the 23-year-old will have great expectations of delivering gold on home soil. She grew up mostly in the United States with a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, but Osaka remains the favorite of Japanese sports. But question marks remain around their shape. She retired from the French Open, citing mental health issues, and bypassed Wimbledon as well, but if all is well she should show a strong performance in Tokyo. As a four-time singles Grand Slam winner, no current player can live with Osaka when she is at her best, and she has proven just as inspiring off the pitch by raising her voice for multiple social justice purposes.
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To call Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce the female Usain Bolt is both a huge compliment and a huge insult. Because the reality is that the 34-year-old Jamaican long outlasted her male counterpart when she sprinted to the top of the world at the 2008 Games in Beijing and has essentially stayed there ever since. She is the second fastest woman in history, her 100 m best time of 10.62 is only behind the dubious world record of Florence-Griffith Joyner. She is a four-time world champion in the 100 meters, two-time Olympic champion in the 100 meters and in Tokyo she seems prepared to win a third place. Her biggest challenge is likely to come from a teammate, Elaine Thompson, who won the women’s 100m in 2016. Nobody starts faster than Fraser-Pryce, but nobody finishes faster than Thompson.
3:00 AM – Boxing: * Emmet Brennan, light heavyweight semi-finals; * Kurt Walker, featherweight quarterfinals; * Aidan Walsh, welterweight semifinals
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He’s talking about a big game, but Rhys McClenaghan mostly supports it. The Newtownards man turned 22 earlier this week and appears poised to see Ireland win its first Olympic medal in gymnastics. He is in shape in this area, winning the first Irish medal at the World Championships and taking bronze in the pommel horse in 2019. A wrist injury hampered his performance at the European Championships earlier this year, but McClenaghan has since regained his health and fitness and he made a special promise in Tokyo. It has to be perfect to win gold, but for a man of his skill it is within reach.
10:30 – Athletics: * Sarah Lavin, Women’s 100m Hurdles Semifinals; * Mark English, men’s 800m semi-finals; * Thomas Barr, 400m hurdles men semifinals
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01:00 – Athletics: * Thomas Barr, 400m hurdles final; * Andrew Coscoran, 1500m heats; Leon Reid, Marcus Lawler, 200m heats; Phil Healy, 400m prelims
In 2016, Thomas Barr is the first Irishman in 84 years to contest an Olympic sprint final in athletics, where he finished in an excellent, but somewhat agonizing fourth place and a medal for one in the 400m hurdles final Missed twentieth of a second. The 28-year-old is hoping to get on the podium in Tokyo, although he tops it with Norwegian Karsten Warholm, USA Rai Benjamin and Brazilian Alison Dos Santos. The big problem for Barr could be getting to the final where, as history has shown, he is usually up to the situation and finds an extra gear.
03:00 – Boxing: * Aidan Walsh, welterweight final ; * Michaela Walsh, featherweight final; * Kellie Harrington, easy quarter-finals; * Kurt Walker, featherweight semi-finals; * Brendan Irvine, flyweight quarterfinals
11:00 – Athletics: * Marcus Lawler, Leon Reid, 200m semifinals; * Síofra Cléirigh-Buttner, Nadia Power, Louise Shanahan, 800m final; * Phil Healy, 200m final
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10:30 – Athletics: * Ciara Mageean, Sarah Healy, 1500m semifinals; * Mark English, 800m final; * Marcus Lawler, Leon Reid, 200m final; * Michelle Finn, Eilish Flanagan, 3000m steeplechase final; * Phil Healy, 200m semifinals
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Although the US had a shaky preparation and lost the pre-game games against Nigeria and Australia, it will be a big shock if they don’t win gold in Tokyo. Only once in the last seven editions of the games have they come up short – beaten in the semi-finals of Argentina in Athens 2004 – and with the typical galaxy of NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Devin Booker, they should win the gold medal Play waltz and bring back no less than your nation expects.
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This could well be an Olympics where the Irish save the best for last. There are a number of obstacles that could come between Kellie Harrington and a spot in the women’s lightweight boxing final, and she must do her best to win the four fights leading up to the gold medal match. But Harrington is able to go all the way on the biggest stage in amateur boxing. The 31-year-old Dubliner was the 2018 world champion in this division and proved her class by winning gold in European qualifiers last month shortly after returning from an injury. She is number one, but between her and the victory stands the current world champion and gold medal favorite Beatrix Ferreira from Brazil, who will probably compete before the final.
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