McGeever lives the Olympic dream
By Shane Brophy
Finn McGeever did what many can only dream of on Tuesday, compete in an Olympic Games.
The twenty-year-old from Ballina swam the second leg on the first Irish team to compete in an Olympic relay in the 4x200metres Freestyle, and while they finished last in their heat, qualifying for Tokyo was an achievement in itself.
“It is the coolest thing I have ever done,” Finn said to RTE.
For the first time in history, Ireland fielded a Men’s 4x200m Relay, with McGeever joined on the team by Jack McMillan, Brendan Hyland and Shane Ryan finishing eighth in their heat with a time of 7.15.48, resulting in a 14th place overall finish; missing out on a place in the final with the fastest eight teams progressing.
“It was crazy, the most insane race I have ever swam,” McGeever added.
“I am so blown away by it, it is massive.”
Jack McMillan showed his class, clocking a time of 1:46.66 in the opening leg, putting them in fourth place at that early stage, the first time that he swam under 1:47, and set a new Irish senior record in the 200m Freestyle in the process.
Finn, literally leapt from the blocks with a reaction time of 0.27 seconds, going onto swim 1.48.46 seconds for his leg, handing over to Hyland in seventh place, with Shane Ryan taking the team home.
It was still a terrific performance considering swimming regulations meant Hyland and Ryan had to make up the team despite not being frontline freestylers, despite Jordan Sloan and Gerry Quinn being on the team that helped Ireland qualify for the Games. Both Sloan and Quinn were acknowledged in the aftermath with Finn also highlighting the contribution of Hyland and Ryan as without them the Irish team would not have been allowed to compete.
However, the whole experience is sure to inspire Finn McGeever to even greater heights as he aims for the next Olympics in Paris in just three years’ time, when he will be stronger and more mature as a swimmer.
“It’s been my dream all my life to come here, so being in the village and seeing the Olympic Rings everywhere is a dream come true,” McGeever added.
Unable to attend travel to Tokyo due to Covid restrictions, Finn’s family and friends gathered in Ballina on Tuesday afternoon to watch the race and cheer him on to a very creditable performance in what will hopefully be the first of a number of Olympic experiences.
Finn is the only direct competitor from the Tipperary at this Olympic Games, however, there will be Nenagh interest in the progress of Síofra Cléirigh Büttner, when she lines up in the heats of the 800m in the early hours of Friday morning. Her grandfather, Tomas O Cléirigh was born in Nenagh and lived at Ciamaltha Road before he moved to work and live in Dublin. As a teenager, Síofra raced at the Nenagh Olympic Indoor track on Ballygraigue Road.
Also, Noelle Morrissey, who owns the Eason in Nenagh, is also in Tokyo in her guise as coach to Sarah Lavin who will compete in the 100m Hurdles in the early hours of Saturday morning.