A trio of flags raised after the men’s 800-meter freestyle prompted many people to make jokes about Catholics in the northeastern United States.
At the event, an Irishman took home gold, an American silver and an Italian bronze.
Thus, when the three flags were raised, references were made to films and to the northeastern part of the country.
“Average East Coast Catholic school,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Other references were made to films such as ‘The Departed’, ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Brooklyn’.
This trio of flags sparked a series of tweets about Catholics in the Northeast United States
It came after Daniel Wiffen became the first Irishman to win swimming gold at the Olympics.
Daniel Wiffen won the 800m freestyle at the Olympics, setting an Olympic record in the process.
Wiffen, originally from County Armagh in northern Ireland, became the first Irish swimmer to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
Not only did he win a medal, he also stood on top of the podium as Amhran na bhFiann, the Irish national anthem, was played for the first time at a men’s swimming event.
The silver medal went to Bobby Finke, who won gold in the 800m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
Bronze went to Gregorio Paltrinieri, who won silver behind Finke in Tokyo just three years ago.
