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Irish team boxing and athletics news from Tokyo

It was another action-packed morning for Team Ireland in a sweltering Tokyo today.

There was disappointment for boxer, Kurt Walker, who lost out in his quarter-final bout with USA’s Duke Ragan by the finest of margins, a 3-2 split decision after a pulsating contest.

Regan took the better of the opening round, dictating the pace throughout, but Walker regrouped well in the break and came back strong in the second to level proceedings going into the final round. An extremely closely-contested final round saw the two boxers evenly matched throughout, but Regan just pipped it in the end on a 3-2 split decision.

Bronze medal for Walsh

Walker’s boxing team mate Aidan Walsh withdrew from his semi-final of the Men’s Welterweight competition due to ankle injury sustained during his quarter-final bout.

He will still take home his bronze medal which he won in the quarter-final bout, becoming the sixteenth boxer to bring home a medal from the Olympic Games. The tally of Olympic boxing medals now stands at 17, more than 50% of the overall medals won by Team Ireland at Olympic Games.

Athletics

In athletics, there were fantastic performances from Eilish Flanagan and Michelle Finn in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase heats, with Flanagan producing the run of a lifetime to shave an incredible six seconds off her Personal Best time, while Finn produced her fastest time at a major championships.

Flanagan produced the performance of a lifetime to run 9.34.86 to finish 12th in her heat.

Speaking after her new lifetime best, Flanagan said:

“It really excites me for that to be my first performance on the world stage. It makes me believe a bit more that I belong there, so I’m looking forward to the next opportunity on a stage like that.”

Finn, going in the fastest of the heats, had to deal with a strung-out field, but put in an impressive last 800m to record her fastest time at a major championships – 9:36.

Thomas Barr ran the second fastest time of his career in the Semi-Finals of the Men’s 400m Hurdle, but failed to qualify for the final.

Paul Broadhurst wins Staysure PGA Seniors Championship

Paul Broadhurst added his name to a long list of winners by securing victory in the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby Golf Club in Liverpool today.

The Englishman posted a closing three under par round of 69 to reach seven under par. He finished one stroke clear of Frenchman Thomas Levet and England’s John Bickerton, who shared second place on six under par.

First win in nearly 3 years

Sunday’s win ends a spell of almost three years without a victory for the double Senior Major Champion.

“It feels pretty special to win a tournament of this stature on a links course,” he said. “I enjoyed playing the golf course. I remember some of the holes from ’85 in the British Amateur when I played here last, my son played here a few years ago in the English Amateur and he said ‘it’s a tough track, Dad, you’ve got hit it straight’ but I drove it well all week really. I didn’t hit many poor drives and I got it done in the end.

Australian David McKenzie shared fourth place with 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie on five under par,. Overnight co-leaders Markus Brier and Peter Wilson shared sixth on three under.

Scotland’s Andrew Oldcorn finishing eighth on two under par. Argentina’s Mauricio Molina and Irishman Brendan McGovern completed the top ten, sharing ninth on one under.

The next stop on the Legends Tour International Schedule is the Irish Legends presented by The McGinley Foundation, which takes place at Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort from August 20-22

Thomas Barr runs second fastest time of his career in Tokyo

Thomas Barr ran the second fastest time of his career when finishing 4th in his semi-final of the Men’s 400m Hurdles in Tokyo on Sunday.  

His time of 48.26 seconds placed the Waterford athlete in 9th place overall. Unfortunately, he failed to qualify for the final at this his second Olympic Games.

Despite a strong run from Barr, it was always set to be a huge challenge in a high calibre semi-final. The race included the world record holder (Karsten Warholm), the third-fastest man in history (Rai Benjamin), and the man who beat him to bronze in Rio (Yasmani Copello).

With just two automatic places available, Warholm and Benjamin were always favoured, being the only sub-47 second men in the field, proving their class from gun to tape.

Barr started much more aggressively than in his heat, aware of the challengers in the lanes either side of him and tried hard to hang on to those fast starters. He was very well positioned at the halfway mark, which was encouraging for the notoriously fast finisher, but hitting hurdle seven stripped the Irish hurdler of his momentum.

A courageous fight back over the final 120m saw him post a time only bettered by his fourth-place performance in Rio, and he finished 9th overall in these Games –  just one spot away from a second consecutive final.

Barr disappointed despite fast time

A disappointed Barr spoke of the effect that the clipped hurdle had on his race, stating:

“I was coming over the hurdle smooth, much faster than I usually do over hurdle seven, but I didn’t bring my trail leg through as quickly as I’m used to, and I just clipped it. It was an inch, and yeah, it completely knocked my momentum. I didn’t feel lactic in my legs, so I was able to recover, but it probably did cost me a place in the final.

“I went into that in PB [Personal Best] shape,” he added. “It’s such a shame, because that’s the second fastest time I’ve ever run, and it’d probably have been a 47-something.”

Gold Medal for Eve McMahon at Laser Radial Youth World Championships in Italy

Howth’s Eve McMahon won Gold at the ILCA 6 (formerly Laser Radial) Youth World Championships in Arco on Lake Garda on Saturday.

Seventeen-year-old McMahon was consistent from the early stages of the week’s racing in Italy and won three out of the five qualifying races.

A disqualification in the first race of the final series moved her back a few points, but her lead was too great and she beat Anja Von Allmen of Switzerland and Sara Savelli of Italy to take Gold.

The ILCA 6 Youth World Championships are open to sailors who were 18 or younger on the registration day, July 23, but at least 15. The Girl’s Fleet saw 109 athletes compete.

A former Irish Sailing Youth Sailor of the Year in both 2020 and 2019, today’s medal marks a three-in-a-row run for McMahon.

This summer she has taken silver in the U19 category of the EURILCA (European region of International Laser Class Association) U21 European Championships in Montenegro, and silver in the EURILCA Laser Radial Youth Championships in Croatia.

Irish Sailing coach Vasilij Zbogar said:

“It was a tough day with tough conditions. The wind went from 10 knots to 0 at some points, so it was really hard to manage. Eve did an amazing job because it was really unpredictable. She kept herself calm and didn’t panic even in a stressful situation”.

Irish Eventing team 13th after Dressage

The Irish Eventing team lies in 13th place overall following the conclusion of the opening Dressage phase of the Eventing competition at the Olympic Games.

With just over 30 penalties separating the top 13 teams, the competition is still wide open heading into the Cross Country.

The Irish trio of Sam Watson (Tullabeg Flamenco (ISH), Austin O’Connor (Colorado Blue) and Sarah Ennis (Horseware Woodcourt Garrison (ISH), are on a combined score of 110.4.

The medal positions are currently occupied by Britain (78.3), Germany (80.4) and New Zealand (86.4).

Carlow’s Sam Watson and Tullabeg Flamenco (ISH) are best of the Irish individually and are in 38th place on 34.30.

The Cross Country phase of the Olympic Eventing competition starts at 11.45pm tonight Irish time and is live on RTÉ TV.

Sam Watson and Tullabeg Flamenco start at 12.18am. Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue are off at 1.30am. Sarah Ennis and Horseware Woodcourt Garrison will be the last Irish team member to go at 2.39am.

The Olympic Eventing team and individual medals will be decided following the final Show Jumping phase which takes place on Bank Holiday Monday.

Jordan Smith leads ISPS HANDA World Invitational in Antrim

Jordan Smith carded a five under third round 65 to earn a one-stroke advantage over David Horsey heading into the final day of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management.

The English duo will battle it out in the final group on Sunday, both hoping to bridge sizeable gaps since their last respective European Tour victories.

It is almost four years to the day since Smith claimed his maiden title at the Porsche European Open. Horsey’s fourth and most recent win came at the 2015 Made in Denmark.

Galgorm has certainly been a happy hunting ground for Smith, who opened his week with an eight under 62 at the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open host venue. His bogey-free 65 on day three means he is 13 under par across his two rounds at Galgorm, with his 15 under total moving him one clear at the top.

Horsey has improved his score day-by-day, starting the week with a 67 at Galgorm, following that up with a 65 at Massereene Golf Club before a six under 64 on day three at Galgorm – which included his first bogey of the week at the sixth – moved him to outright second place on 14 under par.

The pair will face off in the final round of the men’s event at Galgorm alongside their playing partner, second round leader Daniel Hillier, who is the closest challenger on 11 under par. Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura and Darius Van Driel of the Netherlands are a shot further back on 10 under.

The women’s event is also set for a thrilling finale as three players share the lead heading into the final round at Galgorm. Pajaree Annanarukarn of Thailand was joined on 13 under by American duo Jennifer Kupcho and Emma Talley and they will tee it up together in the final group, all chasing their maiden LPGA Tour victories.

Day Three Scores

195 J SMITH (ENG) 62 68 65,
196 D HORSEY (ENG) 67 65 64,
199 D HILLIER (NZL) 67 62 70,
200 M KAWAMURA (JPN) 65 69 66, D VAN DRIEL (NED) 70 65 65,
201 V NORRMAN (SWE) 69 65 67, J HARDING (RSA) 70 64 67,
202 O FARR (WAL) 67 68 67, J CATLIN (USA) 69 66 67, A CA?IZARES (ESP) 66 68 68, D GAVINS (ENG) 71 65 66,
203 M SCHMITT (GER) 66 73 64, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 68 64 71, N ELVIRA (ESP) 66 67 70, B WINDRED (AUS) 69 70 64, D LAW (SCO) 67 69 67,
204 A LEVY (FRA) 69 69 66, R MCEVOY (ENG) 68 69 67, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 67 69 68, D WHITNELL (ENG) 67 69 68, P PETERSON (USA) 69 69 66,
205 M SCHMID (GER) 64 69 72, H LEON (CHI) 67 73 65, S TARRIO (ESP) 70 67 68, T MCKIBBIN 67 69 69, L BJERREGAARD (DEN) 69 68 68,
206 A CHESTERS (ENG) 68 70 68, R SCIOT-SIEGRIST (FRA) 69 70 67, D DRYSDALE (SCO) 64 70 72, D MCELROY 72 66 68, M ANTCLIFF (AUS) 68 70 68, F LAPORTA (ITA) 69 69 68, G BHULLAR (IND) 72 67 67, M ARMITAGE (ENG) 71 67 68, J WRISDALE (ENG) 69 67 70, C SYME (SCO) 72 66 68, E PEPPERELL (ENG) 66 67 73, J SENIOR (ENG) 68 66 72, A SADDIER (FRA) 69 66 71, B EVANS (ENG) 70 66 70, S SHARMA (IND) 70 69 67,
207 T MURRAY (ENG) 70 68 69, E DE LA RIVA (ESP) 67 72 68, S KIM (USA) 68 72 67, J SURI (USA) 73 67 67, B EASTON (RSA) 70 70 67,
208 M WARREN (SCO) 69 68 71, D COUPLAND (ENG) 71 69 68, G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP) 69 71 68, A SULLIVAN (ENG) 67 71 70, C PIGEM (ESP) 70 63 75, C HILL (SCO) 66 72 70,
209 N KEARNEY 69 71 69, D PAPADATOS (AUS) 69 68 72, P ANGLES (ESP) 71 67 71, R LUMSDEN (SCO) 69 70 70, W BESSELING (NED) 69 67 73,
210 J GONNET (FRA) 71 68 71, S THORNTON 70 68 72, T JAIDEE (THA) 67 70 73, A SANDHU (IND) 68 70 72, C SORDET (FRA) 73 67 70, B RITTHAMMER (GER) 71 69 70, B DREDGE (WAL) 68 71 71, J MORRISON (ENG) 67 67 76,
211 N H?JGAARD (DEN) 72 68 71,
212 B POKE (DEN) 68 72 72,
214 B HENSON (USA) 70 68 76

Olympic Sailing: Dickson & Waddilove Reflect On Olympic Experience

Team Ireland sailors Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove ended their Olympic journey on Saturday following their final three races.

After a delayed start to their day’s racing at Enoshima Island in Tokyo, the Irish sailing duo, Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove got the final day of their 49er fleet races underway.

Going into this afternoon’s sailing, the pair sat in 14th position, and needed conditions and results to go their way in order to finish in the top 10 and advance to the medal race.

Their disqualification two days ago dropped them from seventh to 13th and they had been playing catch-up since.

A strong opening Race 10 for the team, saw them finish in third place putting them right in the mix.

A tougher Race 11 followed though, and they finished out the race in 17th place.

A fantastic final Race 12 saw them take the win that perfectly bookended their Tokyo journey with a win at the start and a win at the end.

However, it wasn’t enough to see them through to the medal race, as they bowed out of the competition in 13th place overall, just three spots outside of qualifying.

Speaking afterwards, Dickson said: “I’m pretty proud of the way we sailed, it’s really good to finish on a high with the last race, and pretty amazing that we got two race wins.  We’ve learned a lot from these games and we’re going to bring that forward to [Paris] 2024.”

Waddilove added: “Overall, it was a very positive experience and we’ve learnt plenty from this Olympic experience that we can bring forward.”

“My biggest takeaway from this week is that we were very much capable of competing against these guys that have done multiple Olympics and have medals and medals under their belts and there’s no reason why we can’t get to 2024 and be medal contenders.”

Olympic Golf: McIlroy & Lowry Ready For Final Day

The third round of the Men’s Individual Stroke Play was played on Saturday morning, with Team Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry continuing their run of good form to keep in contention at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Tokyo.

With a round of 68 for Lowry, he moves to 10-under and into a tie for 9th while McIlroy sits 1 shot further ahead on 11-under after a round of 67.

Playing alongside each other, the pair both started the day on 7-under par and McIlroy admits it was a great way to stay relaxed.

“I was sort of trying to keep pace with him on the front 9, he got off to a great start,” explained McIlroy.

“Then it sort of felt like he was trying to keep pace with me on the back, he got unlucky on 14 with the ball getting stuck up the tree. It was really good to play with him, we fed off each other, we kept it really relaxed out there like it’s been all week.

“It would have been great to get to play with one another again tomorrow but it looks like we’re probably going to be a group apart, but it was good fun and I think it was good for both of us to keep us relaxed.”

Despite playing as individuals and not necessarily as a team, both players were keen to support one another and cheer each other on.

Lowry noted that although they are playing against each other, he wants to see two Irish flags on the first page of the leaderboard.

McIlroy sits just three shots off the lead which is held by Xander Schauffele of the United States on 14-under par – his plan for tomorrow’s final round is simple.

“Give it my all. It’s the last opportunity to do this for another three years – usually, it’s four – so it’s just to go out there and give it my all. Leave it all out there and hopefully, it’s enough.”

 Lowry too, although slightly further back, is just three shots short of a bronze medal place and feels he has even better golf in him still.

Lowry has made 15 birdies across the first three rounds of the Olympic tournament and limited the number of bogeys to five.

The Offaly golfer does not feel like he’s playing at his best but added that he senses that that he can get a low score tomorrow.

“I know I shot a good score yesterday but I feel like I have a low score in me out there and wouldn’t it be a great day for it to happen tomorrow?,” the Irishman said.

“I’m looking forward to it, I hope I can play my best golf tomorrow. If I do, I do, and if I don’t then I don’t – but one thing’s for certain I’m going to give it my best shot.”

Lowry held a significant 25ft putt on the 18th green to save par, in his mind, it could be an important one come tomorrow afternoon.

“I was very happy with that putt on the last, I feel like that was huge for me, it would have made my evening a little more disappointing than it is if I had missed. Three-under is not the greatest score out there, but it’s still decent and I’ve got a chance to do something very special tomorrow and I’m excited about it.”

To see the two golfers’ tee times for the final round, click here.

Olympic Golf: Final Round Preview & Tee Times

The Tokyo 2020 Men’s Olympic golf tournament begins its final round late on Saturday night and continues into Sunday morning.

Team Ireland golfers Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are in the mix for medals heading into round four of the tournament.

McIlroy is tied-fifth on 11-under-par and is three off tournament leader Xander Schauffele and one shot off the bronze medal position.

Lowry is one shot behind his Team Ireland teammate on 10-under and the pair will be hoping to continue the climb they started in round two with a medal or two for Team Ireland within reach.

There were birdies aplenty for the two golfers but also several bogeys to keep them outside of the top three after three rounds.

McIlroy managed six birdies with a very impressive score of 33 on the front nine but the Northern Irish golfer had problems on the final few holes once again.

Lowry looked to be on a clear path to the top of the leaderboard after eight holes but his momentum was stopped by on the ninth hole.

His form waned on the back nine with a bogey on the par-5 hole 14 that summed up a frustrating end to what could have been a very strong day.

Nevertheless, the pair are still in contention for Olympic medals as they prepare for the final round and they will be confident in their abilities after producing some impressive golf in the last two rounds.

Rory McIlroy will tee-off for the final time at Kasumigaseki Country Club at approximately 2:58 am alongside two other podium challengers, Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz and Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz.

Shane Lowry will begin his final round just over twenty minutes earlier than his Team Ireland counterpart.

The Offaly golfer will tee-off at 2:36 am with Mexico’s Abraham Ancer and New Zealand’s Cameron Smith in his group.

McIlroy is currently 10/1 to go all the way in the tournament with Shane Lowry eighth-favourite at 28/1.

Olympic Athletics: Ireland’s mixed relay get 8th in historic race

Ireland’s 4x400m mixed relay team of Sophie Becker, Phil Healy, Cillin Greene and Christopher O’Donnell, finished eight in first ever Olympic final

This Irish team had first qualified automatically in second place in their semifinal yesterday after USA and Dominican Republic were disqualified. After a referral both, teams were reinstated as both faults were down to errors by officials.

Ireland still qualified as the national record breaking time was still fast enough.

The team came out all smiles from inside the stadium to take their position in lane one. The favourites for this race were the USA and Poland.

Greene was up first for Ireland and got off to a decent start, finishing the first lap in sixth place ahead of Team GB.

He handed over well to Collins who held onto the position until the lanes merged, she was in seventh at the handover.

At the baton change, Jamaica and Germany tangled, leaving the Germans on the ground, dropping their baton. They continued to finish the race well behind the rest but it ultimately did not count.

Becker fought with Jamaica for the seventh place spot and that continued into the last 400m with O’Donnell.

Ireland finished the race in a time of 3:15.04, narrowly in eight, two seconds off their record time.

Poland would take gold with an Olympic record time of 3:09.87. Dominican Republic got silver while the USA were resigned to bronze.

This young Irish relay team, although disappointed not to improve on their best time should be very happy with their performance at the inaugural mixed relay event.

This will conitinue to be a team to look out for in the future world championships and for Paris in 2023.

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