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All-Ireland Semi-Final in Covid Doubts

The All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Tyrone is in doubt over Covid fears in the Tyrone panel.

Ulster champions Tyrone announced on Saturday that ”a number of players” within the team are self-isolating due to a strain.

Players who got tested for Covid-19 are awaiting test results.

It has been reported that Tyrone GAA is working alongside the Public Health Authority (PHA) with Croke Park representatives confirming that testing, and if needed, re-testing of players and backroom staff will take place.

There were a number of squad withdrawals before Tyrone’s Ulster final win over Monaghan a little over a week ago.

Shortly after, the Tyrone county board decided to have all panellists and management tested for Covid-19.

With much media speculation of further cases and the possible threat of Tyrone’s All-Ireland semi-final clash with Kerry being moved back.

Tyrone GAA released a statement confirming that all members of the playing panel and mentors have been tested and are awaiting results.

”Further to a number of positive Covid19 tests with members of the Tyrone senior football panel and management, prior to last weekend’s successful Ulster Championship final in Croke Park, it was decided to have all panellists and management tested for the virus.

While outcomes from these tests are awaited a number of players are self-isolating; it is anticipated that all outcomes will be known by Monday and preparations can then be made for the forthcoming All-Ireland semi-final with Kerry.

During the past week, Tyrone GAA has continued to comply, fully, with the guidelines and directives that have been issued by the Public Health Authority and by Croke Park.”

Were the Kerry match to be rescheduled, it would have a knock-on effect for the remainder of the championship season. A deferred semi-final fixture could be played a day ahead of the All-Ireland hurling final (set for 22nd August).

Team Ireland DNF Another Race As Demark Win Men’s Madison

Team Ireland did not finish the men’s Madison this morning, making it the second event in a row that the track cyclists have failed to do so.

It was another crash-filled race at the Izu Velodrome on Saturday morning as Team Ireland track cyclists Mark Downey and Felix English struggled.

The pair retired three-quarters into the race after falling more than two laps away from the main group.

As a result, Team Ireland was deemed not to have finished the race.

Mark Downey produced a solid sprint early on in the race but it was the only highlight of an otherwise unimpressive race for the Irish duo.

Denmark finished the race as gold medal winners, earning the nation their third gold of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Track cyclists Lasse Norman and Michael Morkov assumed control in the second half of the race to bring home the top prize in the event.

They pulled away from their competition in the final laps after gaining the lead from Team GB (Great Britain).

Team GB grabbed silver after a late push while Frace took bronze at the Velodrome.

The lead changed hands several times throughout the race after several countries won the early sprint races.

In a race filled with crashes, Team USA came out of it the worst after both their athletes crashed into each other when attempting a handover.

Denmark took the reins in the second half and held on to them as their closest opponents failed to erase the gap they had built up.

Spain won multiple sprint races to aid Denmark in their pursuit for gold and frustrate those chasing them down.

The Netherlands and Belgium fell away while Team GB snuck past France in the final moments to finalise the order of the podium.

Team Ireland will be in action at the Izu Velodrome for the final time on Sunday morning when Emily Kay competes in the Women’s Omnium.

Olympic Golf: Meadow Finishes 7th At Olympics As Maguire Stutters

Team Ireland rounded up their Olympics at Tokyo 2020 with a seventh-place finish from Stephanie Meadow complemented by a strong fourth round from Leona Maguire.

Meadow shot her second 66 of the tournament to finish out on her own in the leaderboard on 12-under-par.

The Jordanstown golfer finished five shots off winner Nelly Korda of Team USA – the gap between the pair after round one.

There were no faults on Meadow’s final round scorecard, unlike round two where she bogeyed the 10th hole.

Five birdies from the two-time Olympian ensured her a place in the top ten of the leaderboard.

Meadow’s final-day performance summed up her fantastic week from round two onwards and the composure she showed in previous rounds was evident throughout.

She finished among the top performers on the final day and just short of a medal.

The 29-year-old was four shots off a medal after the final day saw several challengers fall away as the trio and eventual podium of Korda – Mone Inami (Japan) – Lydia Ko (New Zealand) shone.

Leona Maguire had a turbulent final day that saw her bring an end to an inconsistent weekend.

The Team Ireland golfer came into the Olympics on a high after scoring the joint-lowest ever round at a major but could not carry that form over.

Her four birdies and as many bogeys highlight a weekend that could have gone so much better for the Cavan native.

A very poor front nine saw Maguire score three bogeys and head into the final nine of the tournament with a lot of work to do.

The former number one amateur golfer in the world made amends with four birdies in a six-hole span but a fourth bogey on the final hole denied her a below-par round.

Maguire comes home after securing a five-under Olympic performance and both golfers involved will continue their LPGA seasons.

Coyle named Irish flag bearer for closing ceremony

No matter how much we don’t want to admit it, the Olympics is  coming to an end

With the end of the Games comes the closing ceremony, there will be a last goodbye from the city of Tokyo as they officially pass the torch to Paris for 2024. The athletes of each nation will walk through the stadium as well, brandishing their flags with pride

During the opening ceremony, boxers Kellie Harrington and Brendan Irvine were named as the Team Ireland flag bearers.

That was more than two weeks ago and now Harrington is in the lightweight final tomorrow morning. While Irvine was unfortunately knocked out in the opening bout.

Now, Team Ireland have chosen an athlete that stole their hearts recently and represents all that it means to be an Olympic athlete to be their next flag bearer.

The women’s modern pentathlon athlete, Natalya Coyle was named to carry the tricolour during the closing ceremony. She competed very impressively throughout her competition only to be hard done by her horse in the ‘luck of the draw’ show jumping event.

Coyle spoke honestly and courageously after the finish of her event at her third Olympic Games, after what seemed so unfair, she put a positive spin of it.

The closing ceremony will take place at 12:00 on Sunday 8th August. The two and a half hour ceremony will include a light show and dancing. It will also have the walk of flags and the passing of the torch to the Paris officials.

Until then, Ireland still have plenty of Olympic sport to keep us busy tonight.

Upcoming Olympic Events – August 7/8th

Men’s Marathon Final – 23:00 – Stephen Scullion, Paul Pollock, Kevin Seaward

Women’s Omnium (Cycling) – 02:00 – Emily Kay

Women’s Lightweight Final (57-60kg) – 06:00 – Kellie Harrington

Why Horse Racing Has Become One Of The Best Loved Sports

Horse racing has been around for a pretty long time, yet it still remains one of the most loved sports out there. There are a lot of things to love about this sport, especially the lucrative betting side of it! You can learn more about how to bet on horse racing on tvg.com, but there’s a lot more to horse racing than just placing a few bets. 

 

So why has horse racing become one of the best loved sports? There are more reasons than you may think! Read on for more information. 

 

It’s One For The Socialites

 

If you’re looking to spend some time away from the isolation of your home and in the social world, there’s really nothing quite like going to a horse racing event. It’s pretty cool – it gives you a chance to dress up in fancy clothing, which is welcomed by many people. Bettors can bond over who they think may win a particular race, and they can discuss betting strategies. There are so many different types of bets to talk about. The atmosphere is incredibly enjoyable even if you’re just there for the social experience rather than for betting. Every horse racing event is an outing to remember. Even if you don’t go to a specific event, you can watch it at home with the family.

 

It Involves Animals

 

Most people love animals! Of course, it should always be mentioned that horse racing does cause some slight risks to horses such as when they are doing hurdle or steeplechases events, but there have been a lot of things done through the years to ensure that the wellbeing of the horses is being taken into account.

 

It’s always enjoyable to see our furry counterparts on the screen. Horses are also very popular animals among the masses. People enjoy watching horses doing what they do best. They’re gorgeous animals, and watching the horse racing is a good opportunity to see these animals at their best.

 

There’s Big Money In It

 

If you want to win big on a bet, then you really shouldn’t miss out on betting on the horse racing. In fact, you have far better odds with betting on horse racing than you do with pretty much any other sport. Naturally, the odds can differ depending on the specific event in question. You can earn some major money in the biggest horse events out there, like the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. One particular person named JP McManus managed to get a $1.3 million dollar payout from one bet on the horse races.

 

Not only that, but there are so many different betting opportunities available with horse racing. For instance, you can bet on the first 4, Place, Daily Double and so much more. You are even more likely to get favorable outcomes when you have so many options at your disposal.

 

It’s Easy to Understand

 

Betting on sports can sometimes be a challenge since there are so many different things that you need to know about that sport in order to make a well informed decision. This is certainly not the case with horse racing. Even beginners can make a decision with ease since there is so much information available, and it’s so easy to place the bet. There’s a lot of data available too that can help you to make your decision.

 

A Fast ROI

 

If you do end up placing a bet on the horse racing, you will be pleased to know that you will know fairly quickly whether your bet has been a success or not. Horse racing is one of those sports that are one and done in mere minutes. Most races don’t last for much longer than around 15 minutes, and you will have all of the results in that time frame. There are many different races too that can keep you on the edge of your seat. Due to the fast paced nature of the sport, it’s particularly thrilling! You don’t need to wait for hours for the sport to be over in order to know whether your bet has been successful or not. This is quite appealing to many anxious betters who don’t want to wait too long to see if they have raked in the mega bucks. 

 

Conclusion

 

In short, there are a plethora of reasons why horse racing remains one of the most popular sporting events to date. If you have any doubts, why not give it a go? You may find that you also become a fan!

 

Olympic Marathon: McCormack runs season best in final

Team Ireland had two athlete’s competing in the draining women’s Olympic marathon in Tokyo final last night

Wicklow’s Fionnuala McCormack was at her fourth Olympic Games while Cork woman Aoife Cooke was making her debut at the competition.

For this event, a group of around 90 women would have to run 42.195km in Tokyo’s 27 degree morning heat.

The race commenced at 06:00 Japan time and from the beginning the three main Kenyan runners took to the front to control the pack. This was a race expected to be dominated by the Kenyan, Ethiopian and Japanese athletes.

After 10km, McCormack was still part of the main pack. The officials had her marked as 38th place but only a single second behind the leaders. Cooke was part of the large secondary pack of runner but still within seconds of the top.

Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir held the lead a quarter the way through the race and held onto that title throughout in a powerful display.

It took until the fuelling station at 13.5km when the main pack started to split up. McCormack dropped in the chasing pack while about 15 athletes stayed on top.

After 20km the Wicklow woman was now in 27th, 27 seconds behind first. Cooke was in 80th place just over a minute and a half within the leader.

Cooke would unfortunately not make it to the halfway mark and would drop out. The tough heat proved very difficult for many of the European athletes as 15 athletes failed to make it to the finish line.

This was a valiant effort by Cooke in her first Olympics at the age of 34 having only taken up competitive running again in 2015.

After 30km, McCormack had boosted her standings to 25th on the slightly downhill part of the course. She was now 2:02 behind the Kenyan in first.

 

The final stretch of the race was tight but Jepchirchir would take gold in a time of 2:27:20. The world record holder, Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei would come in second while Molly Seidel of USA would impressively take bronze.

Fionnuala McCormack made it to the finish line in 2:34:09, running a season best for herself in the process. This is even more inspiring when you understand that she became a mother in 2018 and managed to get herself back up to such a high standard.

Can The Lions Win The Series? – Preview, Lineup, Odds, TV Coverage

The 2021 British and Irish Lions will play their third and final test against South Africa on Saturday with it all to play for.

Warren Gatland’s side displayed an impressive second half in the first test to take the lead in the series but the Springboks showcased why they are reigning world champions with a dominant victory in the second test.

Jacques Nienaber’s world-class defensive coaching kept the Lions at bay and frustrated the touring side that was looking to close out the series early.

Both teams need to win this weekend to win the series, and with the gameplan of the Springboks persevering and the momentum firmly swung in their favour, the Lions will have to put up a fantastic team performance to earn the bragging rights.

Gatland has rolled the dice with his changes, one of them seeing the Pro12-winning ex-Connacht centre partnership of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw play together for the Lions.

Henshaw’s positional flexibility and Aki’s strength could be important factors in a prospective Lions victory.

However, neither are Brian O’Driscoll and the Cape Town showdown may be won via other ways of play.

The Boks’ scrum is the best in the world and the lineout is among the top in its category too.

Whether it be dispersing quickly when out of possession or looking for holes in the South African line with the ball, the set-piece battles will be as important as the first two tests.

Finding even the tiniest of holes in the way these technical aspects of the South African game are set up could prove fatal as the pace of Josh Adams can expose these to great effect.

The Lions will have to improve their aerial abilities too as the Boks have shown that they love to kick in this series.

Henshaw’s ever-presence in the squad throughout the test series is down to several reasons, one of them being his composure under a high ball.

If some more aerial duels went his way and if the backfield can win theirs, the Lions can be a much calmer side in possession.

The Boks are favoured heading into this test but if the Lions play their cards right, they could upset the odds.

Whatever they do, they will want to avoid more heartbreak at the hands of Morné Steyn and the Springboks.

Lineups

British and Irish Lions: L Williams (Wales); J Adams (Wales), R Henshaw (Ireland), B Aki (Ireland), D van der Merwe (Scotland); D Biggar (Wales), A Price (Scotland); W Jones (Wales), K Owens (Wales), T Furlong (Ireland); M Itoje (England), A W Jones – captain (Wales); C Lawes (England), T Curry (England), J Conan (Ireland).

Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (England), M Vunipola (England), K Sinckler (England), A Beard (Wales), S Simmonds (England), C Murray (Ireland), F Russell (Scotland), E Daly (England).

South Africa: Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz), Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse), Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks), Damian de Allende (Munster), Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks), Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier); Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks), Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks), Eben Etzebeth (Toulon), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers)

Replacements:
Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Koch (Saracens), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo), Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), Morné Steyn (Vodacom Bulls), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers).

Odds

South Africa 11/10

Draw 22/1

British and Irish Lions 8/5

Where To Watch

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports with kick-off scheduled for 5 pm. Coverage will start on Sky Sports Action at 3:30 pm with Sky Sports Main Event showing it from 4 pm onwards.

 

Olympic Equestrian: Ireland drop out after Sweetnam falls from horse

It has been a very tough few hours for Irish Olympic athletes and fans throughout equestrian, cycling and modern pentathlon events this morning

The line between success and failure in elite sport is thin and today Ireland had no luck.

After impressive displays in the jumping individual round, Team Ireland were confident of scoring high to reach the final tomorrow.

Team Ireland would be made up of Darragh Kenny, Bertram Allen and replacement Shane Sweetnam for the qualifiers.

The team would be without their highest scorer so far, Cian O’Connor on Kilkenny after the horse sustained a nose bleed in the individual event.

To read more about the thrilling individual event, see Olympic Equestrian Final: O’Connor misses final jump-off by 1 point.

Of the 19 teams in the qualifiers, only the top 10 would progress to the final tomorrow morning.

Equestrian – Jumping Team Qualifier

Shane Sweetnam riding Alejandro was to be Ireland’s first rider in ninth position. He made a strong start showing good speed with his horse clearing the fences well.

The horse knocked a fence during a triple jump on five but tried to recover. At the sixth fence, everything began to go wrong.

Sweetnam and his horse knocked the sixth fence badly and in doing so, a shoe came off the horse. It is possible for a horse to complete the course without a shoe but Alejandro seemed uncomfortable and was now lacking confidence.

On the next fence, the horse jumped too high and landed back down on top of the poles. This caused his legs to buckle and he fell to his knees, knocking his rider off.

Luckily due to the safety measures in place, neither Sweetnam or Alejandro were injured by the fall but their routine was over.

The 40-year-old Sweetnam was clearly disappointed by what had happen. He knew that it left Ireland’s chances of qualification to the next round in tatters.

The new rules have it that any rider that is eliminated in a routine is awarded four more points than the worst score finishing score of the event.

Kenny and Allen would have needed perfect runs to have a chance of making the finals. After already competing twice in the individual event, the riders decided, in the interest of wellbeing for them and their horses, to retire from the competition.

This puts a damp mood on what has been a very decent Olympics for Ireland’s equestrian team.

Fans and athlete’s alike will now look to the marathons, the men’s modern pentathlon, Stephanie Meadow’s in golf and Kellie Harrington in boxing for our last chances at silverware in Tokyo.

Modern Pentathlon: Coyle finishes third Olympics in 24th

Ireland’s Natalya Coyle was very unfortunate in the show jumping round, dropping 14 places due to the horse given to her acting up and refusing jumps

All the points accumulated by the athletes are now counted up. For each point you are behind the leader, that is a one second delay at the start of the Laser run race.

To catch up on how Natalya Coyle has done in the modern pentathlon so far, see Modern Pentathlon: Coyle’s run ruined by horse

This event is a fast 3.2km race with four shooting stops where athletes have to hit five targets. As soon as the athlete hits the target, they can get back to running.

The winner of the race would win gold as this was the decider of the whole days work.

Women’s Pentathlon: Laser Run

Natalya Coyle started the race in 19th place with a 64 second delay on leader Russia’s Batashova. With a mountain to climb, by the second shooting drill, the Irish woman had caught up by two seconds.

The battle for top five was hotly contested over the first 1500m until Team GB’s Kate French broke out in front. She bossed the second half of the course, completing the race 15 seconds before anyone else to take gold.

The real comeback story of the race was Lithuania’s Laura Asadauskaite who started in 13th place, 52 seconds behind first but managed to blitz the field and finish in second.

Hungary’s Sarolta Kovacs got a well-earned bronze medal finishing 16 seconds off French.

Coyle made it to the finishing line after 14:12 seconds in 24th place. A heart-breaking end to her third Games after being in such a good position going into the third event.

This event has proven to be one of the most tense and physically exhausting events of the Olympics. Each of the 36 athletes completed four events in five different sports in the space of five hours.

With three Olympics done, Natalya Coyle is still only 30 years old. There is only a three year wait until we see her back in the modern pentathlon finals again.

 

Team Ireland Track Cyclists Fail To Finish Women’s Madison

Team Ireland track cyclists Emily Kay and Shannon McCurley did not have the race they hoped for after they did not finish in the first-ever women’s Olympic madison on Friday morning.

Shannon McCurley’s early crash brought an end to any hopes that Team Ireland had for the 30-kilometre race held at the Izu Velodrome in Tokyo.

The crash, one of several in the race, involved the European Championships silver medalist and Italian Elisa Balsamo who collided with each other just minutes into the race.

Team Ireland lost two laps as a result with their cyclists focused on clawing back at the gap that had opened up.

However, it became too much for them to counteract and the team withdrew from the race without scoring any points in the sprints.

Team Ireland had to settle for a share of 13th place in the final standings as a result of this.

Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald took gold for Great Britain in the race after a dominant display in the sprints.

Kenny’s fifth Olympic gold in three Olympic games makes her the most successful female cyclist in Olympic history.

The track cyclist moves clear of Charlotte Dujardin as the British female with the most gold medals.

She joins Bradley Wiggins and rower Steve Redgrave in joint-second on the country’s all-time list, only one gold medal behind her husband Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy.

Kenny and Archibald won 10 of the 12 sprints to finish on 78 points with Denmark taking silver on 35 points and the Russian Olympic Committee in bronze on 26 points.

The British duo asserted their dominance on their competitors from the start with a run of three straight sprint wins to kick off proceedings.

The reigning world champions, the Netherlands, failed to mount a serious challenge against Team GB as the side ran away with the gold medal victory.

Next up on the track cycling schedule is the Men’s Madison at 8:55 am on Saturday, August 7th in which Team Ireland cyclists Mark Downey and Felix English will compete.

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