Hugo Keenan is in Ireland's Sevens Olympics squad but Vikki Wall loses out
The Meath Gaelic Football star only picked up the sport last autumn after returning from Australia and had hoped to make the Games
Hugo Keenan and Andrew Smith have made the cut for the Ireland Men's Paris 2024 squad - but Vikki Wall has failed in her bid to make the Women's panel from scratch in nine months.
Ireland and Leinster full-back Keenan and Connacht winger Smith were late inclusions for the recent Sevens Grand Final weekend in Madrid following their return to the set-up. Keenan hadn't played Sevens for five years before making his return against South Africa in the tournament.
Both players are included in James Topping's 12-strong squad for the Olympic tournament - the Men's second appearance at the Games after their last-gasp qualification for Tokyo in 2021.
READ MORE: Hugo Keenan joins Ireland's Sevens after Champions Cup disappointment
READ MORE: Vikki Wall: I've only parked my Meath career but I'll be back
The Men’s team gained their Olympic qualification for Paris at the European Games in Krakow last summer.
However Wall, a two-time All-Ireland SFC winner with Meath who joined the Ireland Sevens set-up late last year after a spell in the WAFL, has not succeeded in making Allan Temple-Jones's squad for the Games after only taking up the sport last September.
Harry McNulty will captain the men’s team, which recently finished second in the World Series, while Lucy Rock (formerly Mulhall) has been named as the captain of the women’s team that has qualified for their first Olympics.
Ashleigh Orchard’s return to the green jersey, just 12 months after giving birth to her daughter, Arabella, has been rewarded with selection in a strong women's panel.
The Rugby Sevens events will be held in the Stade de France. “It is an incredible honour to lead the squad to this summer's Olympics," said McNulty.
"We performed strongly this season with our highest ever finish and it is a great foundation for our prep leading into the Games. We have a lot of competition in the squad and it’s driving everyone to push harder every day.
"Paris is coming along very quickly and we are excited for the weeks ahead. We are working really hard to make sure we are in the best shape, mentally and physically, for the Games to maximise our potential and chase our Olympic medal ambitions.”
The squads will continue their preparations for Paris at the IRFU High Performance Centre, before travelling to Tours - the base city used by Andy Farrell's Ireland squad during last year's Rugby World Cup - for a 10-day training camp in July.
Meanwhile, Rock said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the Ireland Sevens programme as two teams prepare to compete in Paris. For the Women's squad, it has been three cycles of hard work, determination and sacrifice to reach this point, and while we are the lucky 12 who get to pull on the Team Ireland jersey this summer, we are representing so much more than ourselves, but the wider squad, our friends, families, former team-mates, backroom staff and everyone who has supported us on the journey.
"To lead this team out at the Olympics will be an extremely proud moment.”
TEAM IRELAND PARIS RUGBY SEVENS
Men’s Team:
Niall Comerford, Jordan Conroy (Tokyo Olympian), Hugo Keenan, Jack Kelly (Tokyo Olympian),Terry Kennedy (Tokyo Olympian), Hugo Lennox (Tokyo Olympian), Harry McNulty (Tokyo Olympian), Gavin Mullin (Tokyo Olympian), Chay Mullins, Mark Roche (Tokyo Olympian), Andrew Smith, Zac Ward. Travelling reserves: Bryan Mollen (Tokyo Olympian), Sean Cribbin.
Women’s Team:
Kathy Baker, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Alanna Fitzpatrick, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Erin King, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Emily Lane, Ashleigh Orchard, Béibhinn Parsons, Lucy Rock. Travelling Reserves: Claire Boles, Amy Larn.
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