I never thought the likes of Marley or Clancy were medal contenders to be fair. Now once you’re in the Olympics, you can get an Aidan Walsh type draw and medal, but I’ve always said that most needed a good draw to have any chance.
Harrington remains the only one of the current squad who has won a world championship medal at an Olympic weight, and that tells a story. There aren’t many who’ve got out of the prelims
Aoife O’Rourke has been unlucky with draws in her two previous global events, but she’ll be a strong medal contender. Two from boxing would be a great return
As would 4/5 overall considering we’ve only earned more than 3 four times in our history.
O’Donovan & McCarthy remain the only Irish entrants where I’d be shocked if they didn’t win a medal. Everyone else is either a contender we hope improves (Wiffen, Adeleke, the rowing pairs/doubles) or in a sport where one second can change everything (boxers, McClenaghan)
The great part is that unlike most years we do have about 12-15 (you can add sailing, Lara Gillespie, Ben Healy, rugby team, the equestrian teams etc) who are contenders, even if outside shots. The more of those you have, the more medals you’ll win over time