Drama, emotion & grit - How athletes from NI made it a golden Games

Seven Olympic medals achieved by six athletes from Northern Ireland.

To opportunity it's been a Games to retrieve successful Paris is thing of an understatement.

Prior to these Olympics, only 3 athletes from Northern Ireland had moreover won an Olympic golden medal.

In Paris alone, 4 much were added to that tally.

There is history successful each thoroughfare of nan French capital, and passim these Olympics it was nan six medallists from Northern Ireland who wrote their ain Parisian chapter.

First up, it was nan move of Team Ireland swimmer Daniel Wiffen. Coming into nan Games arsenic a world champion successful nan 800m and 1500m freestyle, nan unit was on.

He was besides talking a bully game, declaring he would not return location from Paris without a medal.

The 23-year-old has tremendous self-belief, but he was capable to backmost it up successful style.

After a tight, three-way conflict for nan win, nan La Defense Arena was perfectly rocking arsenic Wiffen pulled retired an unbelievable last 50 metres to return his first Olympic gold.

Wiffen had been 1 of nan calmest group successful Paris up of nan biggest title of his life, and erstwhile he was connected nan podium nan emotion began to travel pouring retired arsenic his dream was realised.

You cognize nan celebrated building astir buses. You hold ages for 1 to travel along, and past 2 travel astatine once.

Just 90 minutes aft Wiffen's historical gold, Jack McMillan's sanction was etched into nan history books.

McMillan had helped Team GB to nan last of nan 4x200m freestyle relay that morning, and though he watched nan last from nan stands arsenic Duncan Scott and Matt Richards returned to nan team, he had much than played his part.

"We hadn't had a golden badge from Northern Ireland successful a while and we managed to do it connected nan aforesaid night, which is beautiful historic," said Wiffen.

McMillan added it had been "an unthinkable journey" and to stock it pinch his friend was "quite special".

"It's been an unthinkable travel truthful far," said McMillan, who swam for Ireland successful nan Tokyo Games earlier switching to GB.

"We were rather young erstwhile we started to aquatics pinch each different and we've been awesome mates since then.

"To spot each different get to wherever we sewage to is unbelievable."

After an unforgettable nighttime successful nan pool, location was much history to travel arsenic Hannah Scott became nan first female from Northern Ireland to triumph Olympic golden since Lady Mary Peters successful 1972.

Scott's golden was possibly nan astir melodramatic of them each successful nan women's quadruple sculls.

In a thrilling conflict pinch nan Netherlands, nan Team GB unit of Scott, Lauren Henry, Lola Anderson and Georgie Brayshaw led for only 1 metre - but it was nan important one.

When each looked lost, they had pulled it retired of nan container pinch a precocious sprint for nan line.

It went down to a photograph finish, and Scott and her unit mates could hardly judge what they had achieved. The winning separator was conscionable 0.15 seconds.

With 3 golden medals secured, it will spell down arsenic 1 of nan astir singular 24 hours successful Northern Ireland's storied sporting history.

On nan locomotion of champions successful beforehand of nan Eiffel Tower, nan scenes of Scott dancing nan evening distant will unrecorded agelong successful nan memory.

That is what nan Olympics is each about.

After watching chap world champions Wiffen and Scott return gold, it was nan move of Ireland gymnast Rhys McClenaghan to return to nan pommel equine successful his bid for glory.

Three years aft a costly correction successful his last regular successful Tokyo, this clip McClenaghan was flawless arsenic he took gold.

In nan last fewer seconds, his coach Luke Carson had his caput successful his heads arsenic McClenaghan prepared to dismount.

He knew a spot people was coming, and McClenaghan delivered and fto retired a immense roar.

It was a tense hold arsenic nan last gymnasts completed their routines, but, ultimately, golden was his.

Again, tears flowed connected nan podium arsenic he completed gymnastics' Grand Slam. It was history successful nan making for nan 25-year-old.

As good arsenic nan 4 golden medallists, location was besides occurrence for rowers Rebecca Shorten and Philip Doyle.

Doyle and Daire Lynch won a bronze badge for Ireland successful nan men's double sculls, and nan pursuing title Shorten and nan remainder of her Team GB unit were pipped to golden by nan Netherlands successful nan last of nan women's four.

A metallic and bronze successful nan abstraction of 45 minutes, and Wiffen wasn't vanished either, arsenic he came 3rd successful nan 1500m freestyle to adhd to his historical golden a fewer days later.

Of nan six medallists from Northern Ireland astatine nan Olympics - 3 came successful nan greenish of Ireland, nan different 3 successful achromatic of Team GB.

Three rowers, 2 swimmers and a gymnast who person brought joyousness and pridefulness to fans, friends and family watching some astatine location or, for those fortunate enough, successful Paris itself.

The Olympians whitethorn person been successful different colours but they shouted each different connected passim nan Games.

Doyle had conscionable won bronze and was connected his measurement to nan podium erstwhile he stopped to cheer connected Shorten successful nan closing stages of nan women’s four.

He says it was "amazing" to watch her and her squad transverse nan statement successful 2nd position.

When nan six medallists gathered successful nan Olympic colony earlier departing Paris, McClenaghan said it was typical being capable to observe together.

"It's decidedly an accomplishment coming from Northern Ireland conscionable to beryllium present astatine nan Olympic Games," he said.

"I'm truthful proud to beryllium opinionated amongst each of nan different Olympic golden medallists.

"The truth we are moreover saying that successful plural is incredible."

Scott added that it was "surreal" for 4 athletes from Northern Ireland to person won golden medals successful Paris.

"We've conscionable exploded and we've been building for this infinitesimal for rather immoderate time," she said.

"To travel distant pinch 4 golden medals, I don't deliberation that anyone really expected that. It's been really cool.

"There is nan momentum of nan swimmers getting their gold, past for maine and Rhys getting his after, it's been a really cool acquisition for Northern Ireland. I'm really proud."

And possibly this is nan astir breathtaking facet of nan aureate moments.

Wiffen, Scott and McClenaghan were already world champions successful their ain correct heading to Paris, and backed that up pinch Olympic gold.

All 3 are aged 25 aliases under, and person their champion years up of them.

McMillan, too, is only 24 and has targeted individual events astatine nan adjacent Olympics successful Los Angeles successful 2028.

He said nan "possibilities are endless" for nan future, and Wiffen added: "What's possible? Many medals to come, I'd say."

Who are we to disagree?

After 36 years of waiting for personification from Northern Ireland to beryllium connected that apical measurement again, this aureate procreation could conscionable beryllium getting started.