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Modern Pentathlon: Coyle’s run ruined by horse

The Modern pentathlon began its tough gruelling scoring process with swimming, bonus fencing and horse racing

Team Ireland’s Natalya Coyle had put herself in a great position after finishing third the fencing ranking round yesterday. To read more about that challenging 35-bout event, see Team Ireland Pentathlete Natalya Coyle Off To Good Start.

For the modern pentathlon, Tokyo had created a large stadium that could contain all the events. Although there was no crowd but the other athletes and coaches create a small but noisy atmosphere in the place.

This event has a points base system where athlete’s are scored on their attempts in multiple fencing bouts, their times in a swimming race and their points and times in a horse show jumping round.

These scores will decide where the athletes start for the final laser run race.

Women’s Modern Pentathlon

Swimming 200m Freestyle

First up at 06:30 this morning was the 200m swimming heats. This was one of Natalya Coyle’s weaker events but she herself in good standing from the fencing yesterday.

Coyle was swimming in lane five of heat four. Unlike previous years, this competition took place in a 25m pool so the times were slightly faster and new Olympic records were set each heat.

Coyle swam a good race always remaining in the middle of the pack, she showed no sign of slowing and finished in 2:13.88. This earned her 283 points which had her in thirteenth place after the swim.

Russia’s Gulnaz Gubaydullina was the fastest swimmer overall in a time of 2:07.31 and received 296 points.

Fencing Bonus Round

This event took place only 45 minutes after the swimming had finished, giving the athletes little time to prepare. The fencing round is done in a winner stays on style where the lowest ranked from the previous days fencing would start.

After finishing third yesterday, Coyle would face the winners of bout 32 which was Russia’s Uliana Batashova. The Irish woman took to the piste and got the touch to earn her an extra bonus point.

She went more attacking in her next bout against South Korea’s Sehee Kim. Unfortunately the second best fencer picked her off with less than five seconds to go.

Coyle still finished the fencing round with 239 points to add to her total.

Riding Show Jumping

The last round of preliminary events took place a half an hour later. In the show jumping round, athlete’s are given a horse at random with only a few minutes to get to know them.

Coyle drew horse Constantin who previously gave a Uzbekistani competitor trouble. The Irish woman rode very well but had the same problem with the horse on the last few jumps.

After the horse refused three jumps, knocked a fence and went over the allowed 80 seconds, Coyle received 234 points.

To emphasis how this event is the ‘luck of the draw’, the gold medal favourite was forced to retire by her horse, getting 0 points and moved back to 31st place overall.

After the mornings events, Coyle finished in 19th place and will go on to the Laser Run later today.

Tune in to RTE 2 to watch the Women’s Laser Run final at 11:30 this morning. Could Natalya Coyle go one step further than her sixth place finish in Rio?

La Rochelle Appoint Donnacha Ryan As Forwards Coach

La Rochelle has appointed former Ireland international Donnacha Ryan as a forwards coach for the upcoming season.

Ryan will be reunited with former Munster and Ireland teammate and La Rochelle Director of Rugby Ronan O’Gara.

The pair were part of the famous Heineken Cup winning Munster side of 2008 and the 2011 and 2015 World Cup sides at national level.

Ryan boasts two Magners Cup titles and the aforementioned Heineken Cup as career honours at club level and will look to add to that as a coach.

The 37-year-old retired from professional rugby at the end of last season after four seasons with Racing 92 in Paris.

Ryan never won a trophy while in Paris but came close on numerous occasions, including being part of two Champions Cup runners-up sides and missing out on the Top 14 in the late stages, most recently against O’Gara’s La Rochelle.

This will be the Tipperary native’s first foray into the coaching world as he looks to cut his teeth with the club’s forwards.

The retired rugby player will work alongside Romain Carmignani in the role, who was promoted to the first-team coaching role from the academy.

Last season’s runners-up La Rochelle opens their new Top 14 campaign on 4 September with a mouthwatering meeting against Toulouse — a repeat of last season’s final.

O’Gara will also be hoping to go one better in the Heineken Champions Cup this time around, with last year’s beaten finalists drawn in Pool A where they will take on Bath and Glasgow Warriors.

Olympic Golf: Meadows Chases Medal While Maguire Stagnates

Team Ireland golfers Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire played their third round of golf at the Olympic golf tournament this morning.

Stephanie Meadow finished on a high after a rough start to go three-under-par for the day and seven-under across 54 holes.

Leona Maguire posted two 35’s across both sets of nine holes to finish the day on five-under.

Meadow expanded upon her round two form with a strong finish enough to maintain her chase of the medal positions.

The Northern Irish golfer struggled initially with a bogey on the second hole and did not correct it until hole 6.

A second birdie on hole 8 looked to set Meadow on her way but another bogey left her waiting until the back nine to mount her charge up the leaderboard.

A birdie on the 13th hole was left unaccompanied by anything but par until the final two holes where the Team Ireland golfer added two more to finish strongly and sit joint-10th.

Maguire finished on a lesser total for the day but her round was packed with action as she fluctuated throughout the 18 holes.

The Cavan native came out of the blocks like a bull in a china shop with two birdies in the first two holes.

Two further birdies on holes seven and eight moved her to four-under across the tournament and the golfer looked set to build on that.

However, a disastrous ninth hole killed her momentum after a shot went into the trees and she struggled to recover from it.

Maguire ended up posting a triple-bogey on the par-4 hole after the fiasco which brought her back down to Earth.

She never recovered from it until it was too late – a birdie on the penultimate hole to move under par – bringing an end to what should have been a fantastic day for the Team Ireland golfer.

Maguire’s final round will begin at 11:18 pm on Friday night at the same time as Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela and Sanna Nuutinen of Finland.

 

Bradley hopeful for Rovers chances in European tie

Shamrock Rovers will face Albania’s KF Tueta Durres tonight at 20:00 in Tallaght in the Europa Conference League Round 3 Qualification

Rovers come into the game in good form going unbeaten in their last six home games. They have gotten three wins in a row in the league.

They were placed in the Europa Conference League after beating Slovan Bratislava but losing on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers. 1,500 home tickets have been sold for the game, with the fans bringing some well-needed atmosphere to the tie.

Neil Farrugia will be the only player missing for Rovers as Graham Burke was passed fit to play the game.

Manager Stephen Bradley is optimistic of Rovers chances in the game, especially with the good form they are in.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Bradley said:

“The players are playing with a lot of confidence, and we’ll obviously look to take that into Thursday night. Again, we understand at this level of Europe it’s a very difficult game, that’s what we expect but we couldn’t be facing into it at a better time.

“We’re in really good form and it’s a game that we’re really looking forward to. It excites us, and we’ve got to try and make Thursday another special European night in Tallaght.”

Although they have high hopes, Bradley is making sure the squad knows that they will face tough opposition tonight.

“We’ve learned that they’re a very dangerous team going forward. We’ve watched a lot of their games; the players have seen a lot of them now and we know that they’re dangerous,” added the manager.

“So, we know a lot about them, we know it’s going to be difficult tie but it’s one we’re really looking forward to and we’re ready for.

” They’re a different type of player and tactically very clever in the attacking part of the pitch but similar to what we’ve faced. Some really technical players and when you play at this level in Europe, that’s what you face. ”

The bookies had made Rovers heavy favourites for the European game. Hopefully this will be one victory of many for Irish teams tonight.

Dundalk also face Vitesse away at 18:00.

Team Ireland Pentathlete Natalya Coyle Off To Good Start

Three-time Team Ireland Olympian Natalya Coyle got her Tokyo Olympic Games campaign underway today with an impressive opener in the Women’s Individual Fencing Round.

Coyle goes into day two lying in joint third position on the overall leaderboard with a total of 238 points.

Over the course of 17 rounds, the athletes competed in one-minute bouts against each other, with the total victories and defeats resulting in points that are accumulated and contribute to the overall total – Coyle’s final points reflect a total of 23 victories/12 defeats.

The Meath athlete took to the piste in confident style, immediately moving towards the top of the leaderboard, maintaining her place in consistent fashion throughout the bouts, with a really strong showing in the first half of the competition.

Keeping her composure over the course of the session, Coyle said that she enjoyed her competition opener.

“It was really good,” Coyle said. “I don’t even know the results yet, I don’t think I’ll look, because Pentathlon is one out of five. I know it started off really well, and I just feel really happy. I’m really glad to have done all the training and my coaches justice, so I’m really happy with that anyway.”

Coyle started strong and kept the pressure on throughout the round.

For the first time the fencing event was held on a different day to the remaining swim, horse ride, and laser run, something she took advantage of: “I was very pumped the whole way through there.

“Normally I try to conserve some energy, but we have more time, so I was pretty excited for each hit. It’s a long time where there’s a lot of mental energy expended. I think it’s three hours, but it flies by, I can’t believe it’s over.”

Fencing is a discipline that Coyle has done specific work on over the past few years, and that work was evident with today’s performance.

“I was really lucky in the Team Ireland holding camp in Fukuroi that I could bring some good fencers, and I think it showed out there in the piste today, it definitely helped.

“It’s the Olympics, the pinnacle of every sport, so you’re pretty much up for every fight.

“I think the big thing is to not ride every loss and normally say don’t ride the highs, but I think I rode them pretty well in the arena. Normally I try to stay calm in between rounds and just let it out on the piste.”

Tomorrow, Coyle will contest the 200m Freestyle Swimming, Fencing Bonus Round, Show Jumping and the Laser Run, and the athlete with the highest number of points at the end of all disciplines is deemed the winner.

Olympic Golf: Team Ireland Star Maguire Happy With R2 Performance

Team Ireland golfer Leona Maguire has said that she is happy with her performance in round two of the Women’s Olympic golf tournament at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Maguire shot four-under-par to improve her overall total to that amount and get within five strokes of a medal.

Her Team Ireland teammate Stephanie Meadow is also on four-under and is tied with Maguire for 11th.

Maguire’s hole one bogey was soothed by four quick-fire birdies on the front nine to shoot the Cavan golfer up the leaderboard.

Her front nine of 33 was matched by a back nine of 34 that included two additional birdies and a bogey.

She credited her opportunity creation for her score, something she struggled with on day one.

“I played a lot better today and gave myself a lot more chances,” said Maguire. “I didn’t get off to the best of starts but I chipped in on 4 and I kind of feel like that turned the day for me.

“I then went on and had 3 birdies in a row on 6, 7 and 8 which was nice. It felt like I played quite solid today.

“There were a few putts that, had they gone in, it would have completely changed the day, but it was nice to finish with a birdie on 18 to head into tomorrow.”

Upon finishing her round, Maguire was also delighted to hear of boxer Kellie Harrington securing her place in the gold medal fight to take place this coming Sunday.

“What Kellie is doing is incredible,” Maguire said. “She was one of the first people I met when I got into the village last week.

“I’d love to see her win a gold medal, she really deserves it. It’s great to see the community and people at home rallying around her. I’m fortunate where I’m from it’s the same as well.

“If we can finish off this week on a high note and she can go win a gold medal on Sunday, that would be great.”

Team Ireland Track Cycling React To Disappointing First Day

Team Ireland track cyclist Mark Downey made his Olympic debut in Tokyo this afternoon in the Men’s Omnium.

He followed in the footsteps of his father Seamus who competed at the 1984 LA Games.

The gruelling four-event Omnium was the first event on Downey’s race schedule at the Games, as he also teams up with Felix English on Saturday for their preferred event, the Madison, which is raced over 50-kilometers or 200-laps.

After four rounds – the Scratch Race, Tempo Race, Elimination Race and Points Race – Downey finished in 17th position with a haul of 18 points.

Downey started with a 16th place finish in the Scratch race, which is a classic first-across-the-line race over 15km for men. Five riders gained a lap on the field, while Downey sprinted with a large bunch all fighting for places.

There was disappointment for Downey in the Tempo race though, as he was pipped for a point mid-way through the race.

The all-out effort saw him drop the wheel and lose a lap along with Andreas Mueller of Austria and David Maree of South Africa.

That resulted in a 20-point deduction which put Downey in 19th place. The Elimination race followed, which sees the last rider to cross the line at each intermediate sprint eliminated.

Selections are made every two laps, and with speeds averaging 55kph, Downey suffered an early elimination finishing 19th.

With Downey out of contention going into the Points Race it was a case of keeping out of trouble and keeping the legs fresh for Team Ireland’s target event on Saturday, and he climbed the overall rankings to finish 17th overall.

Speaking after the race Downey said: “Yeah, I didn’t really know what to expect… I’m an athlete, I like to compete, but look it’s my first Omnium at this level. I threw the kitchen sink at it. It’s not a banging result, it is what it is.”

“We got this race off the back of the Madison, so I’m looking forward to going again with Felix. He’s super motivated back in the hotel so I’m not too disappointed with the result. The level we know is really, really high here so I can’t be too disappointed, and we’ll move forward again.”

Team Ireland track cycling head coach and 2012 Olympian Martyn Irvine added: “Not the race we wanted but it shows we haven’t focused on it in preparation and training. Given the year that’s in it, we were just happy to get a start on the race. It has set us up to build from here, the level has raised, it’s amazing to see what people have actually done through Covid.”

“We have shifted our focus to the main event of this week for us, the last two years we have focused on the Men’s Madison and that’s the main goal on our side.”

Team Ireland Athlete Coscoran Runs Well But Fails To Advance

Team Ireland athlete Andrew Coscoran put in another composed performance in the Men’s 1500m but it was not enough to qualify for the finals.

The Team Ireland member ran close to his personal best, coming across the line with a time of 3:35.84 in 10th, just outside his best time of 3:35.66.

The Balbriggan athlete posted the second-fastest time of his career, and with just the top 5 advancing to the final (plus two time-qualifiers), his Olympic Games finishes with a 20th place ranking overall.

A quick opening lap set the tone of the race, with the Irishman needing to have his wits about him from the gun to stay in contention.

Coscoran stayed connected to the race throughout, sitting at the back of the main pack and hoping to produce a fast final 100m like in his heat, but ultimately those ahead of him held on.

Noting the fast early pace and his plan for the race, Coscoran said: “A 56-second flat first lap will take the steam out of you fairly quickly…The plan was to stay connected to the pack. No matter where the pack was…in the heats, I let a little bit of a gap open so the plan was to not let that happen.”

Proud of his two races in his Olympic Games debut he added; “It was a good race, it was good for me. The heats was probably the best race of my life, and then that was the best race of my life…I think I did better than what I was expected to do and I think that’s because of all the race experience I’ve had in the entire season”.

The second semi-final was won in an Olympic record by Abel Kipsang of Kenya, and a time qualifier position would have required an Irish record or three-second PB from the Irishman.

Irish Rowing Championships 2021 – High-Performance Athletes Confirmed

The 2021 Irish Rowing Championships will take place at The National Rowing Centre during the weekend of the 20th-22nd of August, with a host of Ireland’s Olympians set to feature.

There are 55 categories on show at the Championships with 503 crews entered for the weekend across all of them.

Our High-Performance athletes will be representing their clubs across several categories with senior and under 23 high-performance athletes competing throughout the weekend.

Fresh off their incredibly impressive gold medal victory in the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls, both Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club) and Paul O’Donovan (UCC Rowing Club) will compete in multiple senior events as they look to add to an outstanding 2021.

Rio 2016 silver medalist Gary O’Donovan (Skibbereen Rowing Club) will also compete with Daire Lynch (Clonmel Rowing Club) and Ronan Byrne (UCC Rowing Club), of the Men’s Double Sculls crew from Tokyo, rounding out the men’s high-performance athletes currently confirmed for the Championships.

On the women’s high-performance front, two of Ireland’s bronze medal-winning Women’s Four crew have been announced, with Emily Hegarty (UCC Rowing Club) and Aifric Keogh (UCC Rowing Club) set to compete.

Aoife Casey (UCC Rowing Club) and Margaret Cremen (UCC Rowing Club), who raced together in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls in Tokyo, will both feature in a number of senior events, with Monika Dukarska (Killorglin Rowing Club) of the Women’s Pair Olympic crew also set to set to race at the NRC.

Tara Hanlon (UCC Rowing Club) and Lydia Heaphy (UCC Rowing Club) round out a stacked line-up of high-performance athletes set to compete in Cork.

Some of our other High-Performance athletes will also be representing their clubs at the Irish Rowing Championships: Claire Feerick (Neptune Rowing Club), Jake McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club), Cliodhna Nolan (NUIG), Alex Byrne (UCC RC), John Kearney (UCC RC), Ross Corrigan (QUBBC), Jack Dorney (Shandon), Hugh Moore (QUBBC), Finn O’Reilly (Skibbereen RC), and Leah O’Regan (Shandon).

Rowing Ireland’s Chief Executive Officer, Michelle Carpenter said, “After such remarkable Olympics games from our team, I am delighted to see so many set to compete amongst a very impressive line-up at the Irish Rowing Championships 2021.

“Our high-performance athletes have shown that they are some of the best in the world and it will be wonderful to see so many showcases their talents once again at the Kinetica National Rowing Centre. In addition, we have crews from our clubs and grassroots around the country coming to our home of Irish rowing.

“I am looking forward to what’s set to be a really exciting event”

Senior High-Performance Athletes Competing

  • Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club)
  • Paul O’Donovan (UCC Rowing Club)
  • Emily Hegarty (UCC Rowing Club)
  • Aifric Keogh (UCC Rowing Club)
  • Gary O’Donovan (Skibbereen Rowing Club)
  • Jake McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club)
  • Monika Dukarska (Killorglin Rowing Club)
  • Ronan Byrne (UCC Rowing Club)
  • Tara Hanlon (UCC Rowing Club)
  • Daire Lynch (Clonmel Rowing Club)
  • Gary O’Donovan (Skibbereen Rowing Club)
  • Jake McCarthy (Skibbereen Rowing Club)

Team Ireland Diver Tanya Watson ‘Should Be Very Proud’

Team Ireland diver Tanya Watson closed out the Tokyo 2020 aquatic schedule on Thursday morning with 15th place overall in the 10m Platform, having made the semi-final on her Olympic debut.

Watson was Team Ireland’s first female diver to represent the Olympic Team at the Games.

The 19-year-old, with roots in Derry, posted the second-highest score of her senior career on Wednesday to get through to the next round and showed the same professionalism and composure in a challenging semi-final.

Against 17 of the world’s best, Watson stepped up to improve her scores on her first two dives and did not lose focus after missing the third dive, producing solid efforts on her final two dives to finish with a total tally of 278.15 points.

She adds this performance to her fifth-place finish in the 10m Platform final at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018 when she was aged only 16.

Damian Ball, National Head Coach for Diving, added: “Today was another solid performance from Tanya, and overall this has been an amazing debut Olympics for her.

“There was some world-class diving in the pool today and for Tanya to make the final today would have required an international PB score.

“Just as we saw at the World Cup, she was not a million miles away from reaching the all-important finals. She should be very proud of everything she’s achieved this year.”

Watson was the last Irish aquatic athlete to compete for Ireland at Tokyo 2020, signing off a successful campaign for Team Ireland’s largest ever aquatic team for an Olympic Games.

The Team Ireland aquatic team did not come away from Tokyo with a medal but broke national records and improved upon personal bests during their time in Tokyo

Aquatic attentions now look ahead to the Paralympic Games, which begin on August 24 and will feature five Irish swimmers: Ellen Keane, Nicole Turner, Patrick Flanagan, Barry McClements and Róisín Ní Ríain.

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