Tag Archives: Toyko Olympics

ROISÍN McGeever never anticipated the sheer size of the crowd who turned out to welcome her son, Finn, back from the Toyko Olympics last week. “I didn’t expect the numbers for one person. People in Ballina and Killaloe felt that qualifying for the Olympics was huge. I don’t think it has sunk in with us yet. “We didn’t know until the Tuesday before he went he was going. Before they lined up for the race, I wasn’t sure they were going to swim. All you needed was one swimmer to have a positive Covid-19 test. “If you couldn’t go to Toyko there was no better place to be than watching the race on the big screen in Ballina. “When Finn came on the starting block everyone roared. When Finn dived in, everyone roared. He went off the screen, his elbow would appear and everyone would roar again. When he would turn the crowd would scream again. It was very exciting …

A BALLINA swimmer says the “amazing” Olympic experience and homecoming will provide him with additional motivation to to and qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024. Finn McGeever is still taken aback by the rousing reception he received from people who lined the streets of the twin communities of Ballina and Killaloe to welcome him home from the Tokyo Olympics last week. He believes this is one of the motivating factors that will help him to continue his improvement to try and book a second successive Olympic swimming spot in three years’ time. “Loads of things have happened in recent weeks that will maximise the incentive to try and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” he told The Champion. “The support from the village, coaches and my family and the Olympic experience gives me more incentive to try for the next Olympics.” The 20-year-old former St Anne’s Community College student made history by being part of an Irish swimming relay …