BBC Wales at the Olympics

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The 2024 summer proved to be an eventful one for the O'Dowda household.

Republic of Ireland winger Callum O'Dowda continued his recovery from a groin injury in a bid to ensure he was able to be a prominent figure for Cardiff City this season.

But the 29-year-old and his family also had their eyes glued to the television as the versatile full-back's 24-year-old sister Jade O'Dowda competed for Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympics.

Jade O'Dowda - a bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games - earned a total of 6,280 points to finish 10th in the women's heptathlon in Paris.

And her older brother could not hide his joy with his sister's performance in France following what has been a gruelling year for the athlete.

"Over the last six months, it's been the journey of her trying to get to the Olympics and then getting there and then competing," said Cardiff man O'Dowda.

"What people didn't see is all of the stuff she had to go through prior to it. 

"She was managing stuff and it was all of the stress and pressure to deliver, and she did. I'm so proud of her.

"She's been on some journey, from me dragging her over to the park to play football and running, then to her doing it on the Olympic stage. 

"I wish I could have gone, but with the timings of the football I couldn't make it. But I'm mega proud of her.

"My parents went over to watch her and we had all of the family round my house, all of us were shouting at the TV.

"She did really well to get 10th, for her age as well. She can have a bit of time to relax and have a holiday now."

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What a debut Olympic Games for Emma Finucane.

She has won bronze in the women’s sprint, beating Netherlands’ Hetty van der Wouw in straight rides.

Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand claimed the gold.

Finucane now heads back to hometown Carmarthen with a gold medal from the team sprint, a bronze from the keirin and a bronze from the individual sprint.

It’s a little piece of history for the 21-year-old - she becomes the first female British athlete to win three medals at a single Games since Mary Rand in 1964.

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It’s bronze at best for Emma Finucane in the women's sprint.

She lost her semi-final to New Zealand's Ellesse Andrews.

Finucane will face either Germany’s Lea Friedrich or Dutch rider Hetty van der Wouw for bronze from 11:45 BST.

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The combination of being called up to race an Olympic marathon and preparing for her upcoming wedding has resulted in a whirlwind week for Clara Evans.

The Welsh runner flew out to Paris on Tuesday after Charlotte Purdue pulled out – but she took her opportunity and finished with a season’s best time.

She was Team GB's best finisher in 46th place in the women's race, with a time of 2 hours 33 minutes 1 second.

“I just really wanted to run strong which I did. The wheels came off after about 35km, but that’s to be expected when you haven’t done a full marathon build-up," Evans said.

“I may not be as fast as some of the other girls but I’m definitely strong and I know I’m strong on the tougher courses and I’m very determined and I don’t like people telling me no and if somebody does then I want to prove them wrong.

“It feels like I’ve done that over the last couple of years and I just want to keep going.”

Evans said she could see plenty of Welsh flags around the course which encouraged her to keep going.

“It was really nice because I saw my family with about 2km to go and they never really come to see me run because they’re always looking after my dog, but they couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“My fiance was on the hill trying to keep me going. I could spot them all because I told them to have Welsh flags and I kept an eye out for them.

“I’m getting married on Saturday so it’s a bit of a whirlwind.”

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It's hard to believe we've reached the end of what's been an outstanding Olympics in Paris.

The Games may have got off to a soggy start down the Seine, but the sun has certainly shone on the athletes since.

Wales have already secured a record 12 Olympic medals, surpassing the 10 won in Rio in 2016.

But there could be more.

Track star Emma Finucane will be looking to add to her haul when she goes in the latter stages of the women's sprint.

She is guaranteed at least a bronze if she wins her semi-final at 10:22 BST.

The final takes place at 11:45 BST.

Before that Clara Evans was in marathon action, having been a late Team GB call up to replace Charlotte Purdue.

Evans finished 46th with a season's best run of 2:33:01, just over 10 seconds behind winner Sifan Hassan of Netherlands who claimed an Olympic record.

Great Britain's Emma Finucane continued her bid for a third Olympic medal at these Paris Games by booking her place in tomorrow's women's sprint semi-finals.

The 21-year-old Carmarthen rider won her best-of-three duel against Colombia's Martha Bayona Pineda.

Win that semi-final on Sunday - again a best-of-three format scheduled for 10:22 BST - and she will be guaranteed another medal to add to her keirin bronze and Team GB sprint gold.

New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews, who beat Finucane to keirin gold earlier this week, stands in her way. If Finucane beats the Kiwi she will be into the final and guaranteed gold or silver, lose and she will race for bronze.

But Finucane's GB teammate Sophie Capewell will not be joining her after losing her quarter-final against Dutch cyclist Hetty van de Wouw.

Earlier in the day, Finucane had seen off Australia's Kristina Clonan to reach this evening's quarters.

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

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After that silver for Elinor Barker and bronze for Jeremiah Azu last night, Llanishen High School in Cardiff can boast three Olympic medals by its former pupils in Paris.

Anna Morris, along with Barker, won bronze in the women’s team pursuit earlier in the week.

Incidentally, one silver and two bronzes would put Llanishen High 72nd in the medal table - just ahead of Kosovo, Cyprus and Fiji.

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Dani Rowe, Olympic gold medallist from London 2012, says she is 'immensely proud' of Elinor Barker who last night became Wales' most decorated female Olympian.

Barker has four medals over three Games - one gold, two silver and a bronze.

"It’s exceptional, I was so pleased that they got that silver medal yesterday in the madison," Rowe told BBC Radio Wales.

"She is a huge role model, especially coming back from motherhood, that’s a huge point to mention because it’s not easy.

"You have to be selfish as an athlete and how she’s managed to juggle that and be at the top of her game in sport is outstanding.

"She will be a huge role model and inspiration to so many young girls and also older women in sport who now realise that it’s a possibility, they can start a family, have a baby and come back in sport at the highest level."

Rowe has also been impressed by Emma Finucane on her Olympic debut.

"She has ridden with such maturity, not just physically but mentally as well," Rowe said.

"Of course she would have been nervous, but the way she has handled herself in the sprint and the keirin has been really impressive.

"She’s coming in as reigning world champion in the sprint with almost no pressure on her shoulders, she’s 21, she’s got two Olympic medals to her name already, so she can just ride with that confidence and I think she’ll have the momentum and that will give her a very good chance of gaining another medal."

Olympic medallist Jeremiah Azu says he can't wait to return to Cardiff to celebrate.

The 23-year-old won bronze in the men's 4x100m relay along with Zharnel Hughes, Louie Hinchliffe and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake.

Azu has been training in Italy for a year but says he is looking forward to returning to 'the best city in the world'.

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It's the penultimate day of the Paris Olympics and there's just one Welsh athlete in action today.

Emma Finucane, 21, is back in the velodrome for the women's individual sprint.

She is one of the favourites to medal in the event as the reigning world champion and showed her class by breezing through the early rounds on Friday.

Finucane is scheduled on track at 16:00 BST, hoping to progress to the quarter-finals at 18:07 BST.

She already has a gold medal from the team sprint and a bronze from the keirin.

Can the Carmarthen rider make it a hat-trick?

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The total number of medals won by Welsh athletes at the Paris Olympics is now 12, although there have been 13 medallists with some team events included in the tally.

So Welsh athletes have won three golds, three silvers and six bronze in France.

It is the most medals Welsh athletes have ever won at a Games but with four golds claimed in Rio in 2016, that is still arguably Wales’ ‘best' Olympics.

Sprint cyclist Emma Finucane is still in with a chance of gold in the women’s sprint on the final weekend.

GOLD

Matt Richards & Kieran Bird (swimming - men’s 4x200m freestyle relay)

Emma Finucane (cycling - women’s team sprint)

Harry Brightmore (rowing - men’s eight, cox)

SILVER

Matt Richards (swimming - men’s 200m freestyle)

Ollie Wynne-Griffith (rowing - men’s pair)

Elinor Barker (cycling - women’s madison)

BRONZE

Eve Stewart (rowing - women’s eight)

Matt Aldridge (rowing - men’s four)

Becky Wilde (rowing - women’s double sculls)

Elinor Barker, Jess Roberts, Anna Morris (cycling - women’s team pursuit)

Emma Finucane (cycling - women’s keirin)

Jeremiah Azu (athletics - men’s 4x100m relay).

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Welsh sprinter Jeremiah Azu has won an Olympic bronze medal as part of Team GB men's 4x100m relay.

Azu ran the opening leg with the baton handed over to Louie Hinchliffe, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Zharnel Hughes.

This medal came six days after Azu was disqualified from the individual 100m event because of a false start.

Canada won the gold ahead of South Africa, with USA having a nightmare on the first changeover.

Earlier, the GB women's 4x100m relay team won silver behind USA.