A trio of flags raised following the men’s 800m freestyle led to a wave of humorous comments about Catholics in the northeastern United States.
The event showcased Irish swimmer Daniel Wiffen taking gold, while Bob Finke from the USA claimed silver, and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri earned bronze.
As the flags went up, social media was quick to react with jokes.
‘Average Catholic school on the East Coast,’ quipped one Twitter user.
Another referenced the film, ‘THE DEPARTED (2006),’ citing its focus on Irish-Italian dynamics in Boston and starring actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg.
This trio of flags set off a series of tweets about Catholics in the northeastern United States
Daniel Wiffen of Ireland (centre) pipped Bob Finke (left) and Gregorio Paltrinieri (right) to gold
Wiffen became the first Irishman to win gold in swimming at an Olympics
A fan echoed the sentiment, posting: ‘WORLD NEEDS PLENTY A BARTENDERS!!’ referencing a memorable line from the film.
Another viewer mentioned ‘BROOKLYN (2015),’ featuring Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, an Irishwoman seeking work in 1950s New York, where she encounters Italian-American Tony Fiorello.
During a family dinner, Lacey learns about the historical tensions between Italians and Irish over jobs.
On Tuesday night, the podium setup brought forth reactions from X users, with one stating: ‘As an Irish-Italian (ex) catholic in New Jersey… yeah.’
Another user simply enjoyed the imagery, exclaiming: ‘This is brilliant!!’
In the race itself, the competition was intense, culminating in a nail-biting finish among Wiffen, Finke, and Paltrinieri.
With 100 meters remaining, Paltrinieri initially surged ahead, but Wiffen launched a spectacular comeback to clinch victory, setting a new Olympic record in the process.
Hailing from County Armagh, Wiffen is not only the first male swimmer from Northern Ireland to achieve Olympic gold for Ireland, but he also secured Ireland’s first swimming gold since 1996.
As ‘Amhran na bhFiann,’ the Irish national anthem, resonated at a men’s swimming event for the first time, Wiffen’s triumph may not be his last, as he is scheduled to compete in the 1500m freestyle and the open-water swimming event upcoming in Paris.
Finke, who previously secured gold in Tokyo, settled for silver this time after a strong finish, while Paltrinieri took home bronze, having previously won silver behind Finke in Tokyo just three years prior.
