It was a case of so close, yet so far for Team Ireland in Tokyo after a series of crushing disappointments over the weekend.
ory McIlroy just missed out on bronze in golf, gymnast Rhys McClenaghan finished outside the medals when one of his fingers got caught under the handle of the pommel horse and he had to restart, and Waterford man Thomas Barr came ninth in the battle for the 400m hurdles where only eight can go through to the final.
Lisburn featherweight Kurt Walker lost his quarter-final bout in boxing, and welterweight Aidan Walsh was forced to withdraw from his semi-final fight due to an ankle injury he sustained during his quarter-final win celebrations on Friday. But at least he’ll come home with a bronze.
On the day our medal-winning rowers returned home to family celebrations in Ireland, there was an air of what could have been in the Irish camp in Japan on a day that had been dubbed ‘Super Sunday’.
Rory McIlroy has said he is now determined to return to the Paris Olympics in 2024 after he was eliminated on the third extra hole of a seven-man play-off for bronze.
“It’s disappointing going away from here without any hardware,” he said. “I’ve been saying all day I never tried so hard in my life to finish third. But it’s been a great experience.
“Today was a great day to be up there in contention for a medal. I’m looking forward to three years’ time and trying to go at least one better, but hopefully three better.”
Co Down gymnast Rhys McClenaghan (22) was also focusing on the future after his disappointment.
He lost control after just ten seconds of his 50-second routine when one of his fingers got caught under the handle of the pommel horse and he was forced to dismount and restart.
While his second attempt went well, the damage was already done.
“I know that I’ll feel disappointment with this performance, but that’s OK,” he told RTÉ afterwards. “I feel like when I do feel disappointment, that’s when I’m more motivated than ever, I’m more hungry than ever.
“I’m definitely the type of person to turn a negative into a positive and that’s what I’m going to do.
“This is a very early chapter in my gymnastics career. It didn’t go my way today.
“One finger placement is all it took to knock me off the horse. That’s the finest margins that are in this game. I know I’ll come back a way better gymnast, a way better man.”
Thomas Barr (29) ran a sensational 400m hurdles final five years ago, grabbing a fourth-place finish and missing out on a medal by just .05 of a second.
So to come so close to making it to the final yesterday is agonising for the Waterford man.
He lost balance after hitting the seventh hurdle, but regained it to come fourth in his run. After the other two qualifiers were over, Barr was ninth overall, and only eight could go forward.
There was an appeal by Irish team management in relation to two alleged infractions in another heat.
One was a lane violation and the other was of a competitor trailing a leg around the outside of a barrier.
But officials said there was insufficient video evidence and the results stood, meaning Barr’s Olympics are over for this year, having come so close again to a medal chance.
