Name: Rory McIlroy
Event: Golf
Age: 35
Surely now the most famous of all Irish Olympians, McIlroy is now set to represent the country in golf in Paris after missing a medal in Tokyo and withdrawing from Rio over concerns about the Zika virus.
The current world no. 2 has just returned following bitter disappointment in the US Open - where he finished an eventual second to Bryson DeChambeau after holding a two-shot lead with five holes to play - and a poor two rounds at the Open Championship. McIlroy hasn't won a major since 2014 making the defeat even more devastating for the Holywood man.
McIlroy started 2024 by winning the Dubai Desert Classic, was tied 12th at the US PGA, and tied 22nd at the US Open. Which was an early struggle for McIlroy in the PGA tour, but a win with fellow Olympian Shane Lowry in the Zurich Classic saw his 25th PGA victory of his career. In his next outing he won the Wells Fargo Championship for the fourth time in his career.