'Just go for it': Northern Ireland's six medal winners on Olympic Games glory...in their own words

Before the 2024 global summer spectacle, Northern Ireland’s gold medal tally stood at three overall thanks to milestone moments for Lady Mary Peters (1972), Jimmy Kirkwood (1988) and Stephen Martin (1988).

Now the names of Magheralin’s Daniel Wiffen, Belfast’s Jack McMillan, Coleraine’s Hannah Scott and Newtownards’ Rhys McClenaghan can share that stage at the pinnacle of our country’s sporting history.

Add to that a second medal for Wiffen with bronze, plus podium presentations to Belfast’s Rebecca Shorten and Banbridge’s Philip Doyle and it adds up to a success story to celebrate and savour as our Olympic Games athletes finished in the honours representing the Team Ireland and Team Great Britain & Northern Ireland squads – picking up seven medals across six glorious days.

Below we relive the Paris experience in the athletes’ own words:

DANIEL WIFFEN

(Team Ireland, swimming: gold – men’s 800m freestyle; bronze – men’s 1500m freestyle)

On gold: “It was incredible. I’ve done it...I was so nervous, that’s the most nervous I’ve ever been for a race but do you know what calmed me down – I heard by brother shout for me as soon as I walked out.

On bronze: "I’m happy but a bit disappointed at the same time…I know you have to be pleased with any medal but when you hit gold the first time you’re racing you kind of don’t want less that that.

“To be honest, it’s quite emotional; I don’t know what to say. I’m just thinking in my head – a gold and a bronze, I can’t be more happy and today’s race didn’t go my way but, who cares, I’m Olympic champion!”

JACK McMILLAN

(Team GB, swimming: gold – men’s 4x200m freestyle relay)

"Everyone wants to have an Olympic gold medal around their neck so to be able to do this is unbelievable," McMillan told BBC Sport NI. "I made the decision (to switch to Team GB) two years ago and at the time it was quite risky because it’s a wee bit harder to get onto the Team GB team, especially in swimming...no-one had really transitioned from Ireland to Great Britain, in swimming anyway.

"Two years ago this was the ultimate goal. This was the dream and for it to actually come true, it’s pretty surreal."

HANNAH SCOTT

(Team GB, rowing: gold – women’s quad sculls)

"It's been a long time in the making and I can't quite believe it," said Scott on BBC Sport NI. "I don't even know if I'm emotional yet, that will come.

"We were so process-driven today and the immensity hasn't struck me because I've been trying to play it really cool.

"We knew we had it, the confidence...we've done so many hard miles in training.

"For anyone out there, just go for it because if you think you can you might just one day and that's the really cool thing about the Olympics."

RHYS McCLENAGHAN

(Team Ireland, gymnastics: gold – men’s pommel horse)

“It feels like a dream, it’s a dream well-earned and I just can’t believe it’s happened.

“Listen, everybody at home see this as an example of find a dream that you love, chase it and enjoy that journey because I can tell you if I fell off that pommel today I still would have loved this journey, every single second of it.

"But I didn’t and today I’m walking away with an Olympic gold medal!

“After the routine I was happy – I wasn’t thinking about medals…I was proud of that score because it was mine and I wasn’t thinking of the podium at all I was just thinking I’ve done my job."

REBECCA SHORTEN

(Team GB, rowing: silver – women’s four)

"I'm delighted to get silver but obviously we're going in for gold," said Shorten on BBC Sport NI. "We gave it everything we could out there and just didn't have it on the day, so, yeah, got to be happy with it.

“I don't want to look back and say that I didn't win and I am really proud of everything that we've done, so, I'll take it.

"We've had a great stand from Northern Ireland, it's been a lot of gold, so that's honestly amazing.

"The crowds have been amazing, my friends and family, everyone that's watching. The support's honestly been unbelievable."

PHILIP DOYLE

(Team Ireland, rowing: bronze – men’s double sculls)

"I'm just delighted with the whole experience," said Doyle on BBC Sport NI. “To see so many Northern Irish athletes doing so great over the past few days has been amazing.

"It's really spurred me on.

"To finally bring home the pinnacle of the sport, an Olympic medal, is just great.

"I'm not a sentimental person and I'm not terribly emotional, but you feel something on a day like this.

"It's hard not to and it's great to be able to do everyone at home proud."