Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Brothers Gary and Paul O'Donovan etched their names on Irish sporting history by winning the country's first ever medal in rowing, and instantly became internet sensations after several videos of them being interviewed went viral.[9] On 5 August police in Rio arrested two people for attempted illegal resale of hundreds of tickets allocated to the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI).2012 Olympic bronze medalist Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan were the only Irishmen finishing among the top two of their respective division in the World Series of Boxing, and qualified from that method.[21] Meanwhile, London 2012 lightweight champion Katie Taylor had her sights set to her Olympic title defense in Rio with a quarterfinal victory at the World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.[24][25] Irish riders qualified for a maximum of two quota places in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of their top 15 final national ranking in the 2015 UCI Europe Tour.[42][43] Harrington and Power were confirmed for selection on 14 July, three weeks after the withdrawal in quick succession of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Graeme McDowell (world ranked 4, 25, and 57 respectively).[49] Meanwhile, O'Keeffe's teammate Natalya Coyle was granted an invitation from UIPM to compete in the women's event for the second time, as one of the next highest-ranked eligible modern pentathletes, not yet qualified, in the same tournament.[52][53] Meanwhile, the 49erFX crew claimed an Olympic place on the Irish sailing team by picking up the unused berth freed by the African continental selection based on the results at the 2015 World Championships.Bryan Keane and London 2012 Olympian Aileen Morrison were ranked among the top 40 eligible triathletes each in the men's and women's event, respectively, based on the ITU Olympic Qualification List as of May 15, 2016.