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Olympic Rowing: O’Donovan and McCarthy win historic gold

History was made at 01:50 as the men’s lightweight double scull pair of Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy won Ireland’s first Olympic gold medal in rowing

The famous Irish duo came into the finals as favourites after breaking the world record in the semi-final. The pressure did not effect them in the slightest as they lined up in Lane 3 at the Sea Forest Waterway.

They faced the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Uruguay in this big race.

As the race started, Germany, known for their strong opening and Italy powered ahead. After 500m, Ireland were sitting in third almost a second and a half behind the leaders.

Before any Irish fans could start worrying, the Irish turned on their class, consistently speeding up and were only 0.66 seconds behind Germany at the halfway mark.

Germany attempted to hold their lead as the two boats jostled for top spot over a couple of hundred metres. Just before the 1500m, the Irish boys finally took the lead and they would not give it up.

Their stroke rate and strength kept increasing as they pushed through the last part of the race.

History was of officially made as O’Donovan and McCarthy crossed the finish line in a time of 6:06.43. They were followed a boat length behind by Germany and then Italy.

They took their victory with class, McCarthy clearly ecstatic and O’Donovan letting out a small smile. This seemed to be just another day at the office for the worlds best rowing partnership.

As they were presented their flowers and medals they were clearly overjoyed and Amhran na Bhfiann was heard for the first time in Tokyo 2020.

A rare Olympic gold for Team Ireland

This is now Ireland’s tenth ever gold medal at the Olympic Games and their first in rowing. This builds on Team Ireland’s medal tally after the women’s four rowing team won a bronze medal yesterday.

Commentator George Hamilton also had the pleasure of announcing his first Irish gold medal after working at 11 Olympic Games.

O’Donovan and McCarthy have a very impressive trophy cabinet with Paul already having an Olympic silver medal with his brother from five years ago but this will now be their main prize.

New Irish senior record and PB in 200m breaststroke for Mona McSharry

Mona McSharry returned to the pool for the 200m Breaststroke and set a new Irish Senior Record and a new Personal Best.

The Sligo swimmer finished 2nd in her heat and 20th overall in a time of 2:25.08.

Entering this event ranked 28th (compared to 11th for the 100m), McSharry swam a super race but her time was not quite enough to see her progress to the semi-finals.

“It felt really good,” she said afterwards. “I didn’t burn up and sometimes, you can swim a good 200m and it burns and sometimes it doesn’t so I never really know what feels like a good time – so to turn around and see a 2:25.08 and a new PB is amazing.

“This isn’t an event I am focusing on at the moment, I definitely want to in the future but to be able to just put out times like that and put together a good race is really great. And if that’s the way that ends this competition then I’m really happy with that.”

Jonathan Caldwell hoping for second 2021 European Tour win

Male and female players will share the stage at the €1,500,000 HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management in County Antrim this week.

The event is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

The great and good of the men’s and women’s game will compete for the second mixed event on the 2021 Race to Dubai. The first was June’s Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik and Annika.

The victor that week in Sweden, Jonathan Caldwell, happens to be the leading home hope this week. It was the 37-year-old’s maiden title in a roller-coaster career which saw him work in a golf superstore just to keep his European Tour dreams alive.

288 players in the field

Caldwell is sure to get a hero’s welcome when he tees it up at Massereene Golf Club on day one. The 288 players – 144 men and 144 women – will each play a round at Massereene and a round at Galgorm Castle Golf Club over the opening two days, in the separate men’s and women’s 72-hole strokeplay events.

A second round cut will reduce the field for each event to 60 and ties, and then to 35 and ties after the third round, before a male winner and a female winner are decided on Sunday.

Among those joining Caldwell in the men’s field for the second event of the UK Swing are four-time European Tour winner Andy Sullivan, the most recent winner on tour Nacho Elvira and John Catlin – who won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm last September.

The women’s field – split evenly with LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour players – is also a strong one, boasting former Major winner Georgia Hall, World Number 14 Jeongeun Lee6 and local rising star Olivia Mehaffey, among others.

Caldwell looking forward to playing at home

Looking ahead to this week’s action on home soil, Jonathan Caldwell admitted:

“It’s going to be great. I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, family and friends out there throughout the week. I’m hoping I can find some form and give them something to cheer about.

“I’m more familiar with Galgorm obviously, having played quite a few events over the years there. It’s certainly playing different this year than it has in years past, a little firmer, less rough. I can see the scoring being better than it was last year at the Irish Open with the rough being so thick and playing softer and longer.”

The action in the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management, the 24th of 42 Race to Dubai events, gets underway on Thursday.

Richie Moloney and Rocksy Music win $137,000 Grand Prix in US

Richie Moloney and Rocksy Music won the $137,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI 3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort at the weekend in a time of 38.574 seconds.

USA’s Brooke Kemper and Arpeggi took the runner-up spot with third going to Mexico’s Santiago Lambre and Easy Girl.

Thirty-four riders attempted the first round, with just six qualifying for the shortened second round of the competition.

Moloney and Rocksy Music, a 2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding, have competed together for the last five years.

“I’ve had him for five years, since he was an eight-year-old, actually!” he explained enthusiastically after his win. “He’s been jumping really well lately, so I’m really happy I got this win.”

The Irishman was fifth to go in the jump-off, and he was determined to win, planning his round accordingly after watching the first pair go. “I watched Brooke [Kemper] go, so I tried to get more or less the same numbers,” he elaborated. “I did one less [stride] to the last jump. She did eight, and I did seven. It was a little bit risky, but it paid off.”

Ireland’s Simon McCarthy, riding Gotcha, finished in fourth place.

Munster Rugby announces pre-season games against Bath and Exeter

Munster Rugby has confirmed two pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2021-22 campaign against Premiership clubs Bath and Exeter Chiefs.

Munster host Bath at Thomond Park on Saturday, September 4, before travelling to Devon for a clash with Exeter Chiefs the following Saturday, September 11.

Both games kick-off at 3pm. They will provide preparation for the  the first round of United Rugby Championship fixtures scheduled for the final weekend of September.

Ticket details for the home game with Bath will be confirmed.

Saturday 4th September
Munster v Bath, Thomond Park, 3pm.
Ticket details to follow.

Saturday 11th September
Exeter Chiefs v Munster, Sandy Park, 3pm.

Tickets for the away game at Exeter are available at www.exeterchiefs.co.uk.

Young Rider and Junior Eventing European Championship Squads Named

Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Managers Sue Shortt and Dag Albert have confirmed the GAIN Equine Nutrition Young Rider & Junior Eventing Squads for the 2021 European Championships in Segersjo, Sweden 25th – 29th August 2021.

Young Rider Eventing Squad
  • Alannah Kelly and Cooley Bounce (ISH).
  • Brian Kuehnle and Tullibards Now or Never (ISH).
  • Jennifer Kuehnle and Polly Blue Eyes (ZfDP).
  • Zara Nelson and OLS Queen Bee (ISH).
  • Heather O’Connor and HSH Has It All (ISH).
  • Jim Tyrrell and Rock Gift (ISH).

The non travelling reserves are Emily Barrett with BGS Mikado (ISH) and Zara Nelson with OLS Pixie Hollow (ISH).

High Performance Young Rider Eventing Team Manager Sue Shortt said:

“Most of these riders are veterans of several Pony and Junior European Championships, and a Children on Horses show jumping Gold medallist.  I’ve selected a squad of riders that have shown in training and competition, that they have the skills and experience to cope with a big, technical cross country course.”

Junior Eventing Squad
  • Godfrey Gibbons and Milchem Free Spirit (ISH).
  • Sarah O’Donnell and Blessington Prince Royal (UNK).
  • India Rogers and Hollybrook Star (ISH).
  • Tom Rowlatt McCormick and Mon Ami Alme (BE/SIES).
  • Susan Shanahan and Eisfee (HANN) or Fernhill Whisper (ISH).
  • Olivia Swan and Silver BrĂłg (ISH).

The non travelling reserves are Clodie Coen with Ballinglen Susies Master (ISH), Lucy Cosgrove with Kilcoltrim Swift (UNK), Ellen Creed with Interface (KWPN) and Darragh Hanlon with Marco (UNK).

Denis Lynch edges out Darragh Kenny in Berlin

Last to go Denis Lynch and the stallion Cristello rode to a blistering victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour of Berlin the 1.50m DKB Championship competition at the weekend.

The Tipperary man clinched victory by half a second from Offaly’s Darragh Kenny and Vinci de Beaufour.

Third place in the jump-off went to German rider Katrin Eckermann and Cala Mandia.

A delighted Lynch praised his horse, saying:

“The horse has been in great form recently. To win here is really great and I am delighted with him. It is a great class to win, Cristello is very impulsive, a real fighter and trier so we work well together.”

Ten clear rounds

From the international field of 32 contenders, there were 10 clear rounds that made it into the jump off. First to return to the ring home hero Marcus Ehning and A la Carte NRW. They jumped clear and set a time of 38.46 seconds. Darragh Kenny swifty knocked him off top spot with Vinci de Beaufour to stop the clock in 36.99 seconds.

Young talent Andrzej Oplatek and Conthinder opted for a slightly steadier pace counting on a double clear to help them stay in the placings. While it started to unravel for Pieter Devos after he clipped the Longines oxer and misjudged the side to the final fence causing a refusal and collecting 18 faults, in the end, to rule themselves out of contention.

Though many top-class international riders tried to better Kenny’s performance, all failed until his fellow Irishman took to the arena.

Lynch and Cristello cleared every fence, with the pair shaving milliseconds off the time. They flew towards the last to stop the clock in 36.47 seconds, to take the win, and give Irish riders a 1-2 in Berlin.

The Longines Global Champions Tour and GCL team series now moves to the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London from 13-15 August 2021.

Leinster to host Harlequins on Friday 10 September

Leinster Rugby and Harlequins have announced a Bank of Ireland Pre-Season Fixture ahead of the start of the 2021-22 season.

The reigning Guinness PRO14 and Gallagher Premiership champions will face each other on Friday evening, 10th September with a 7.00pm kick-off.

Details around the venue, spectator numbers and protocols around same will be confirmed closer to the game.

Harlequins won the Gallagher Premiership last season with a 40-38 win against defending champions Exeter.

Their squad features a number of current and former internationals, including Lions player Marcus Smith.

Seeded in tier one for the Heineken Champions Cup 2021-22, they drew Cardiff Blues and Castres in their pool games.

Leinster won the Guinness PRO14 title after a 16-6 win against Munster at the RDS in March.

They were also seeded a tier one team and drew Bath Rugby and Montpellier for the European campaign ahead.

Leinster Rugby will kick-off their United Rugby Championship campaign on the weekend of 24/25/26 September. They are already into the first full week of pre-season training at their UCD base. The squad is missing their Ireland U20s, Ireland senior, and British & Irish Lions contingent.

Olympic Swimming: Haughey Wins Silver For Hong Kong

Hong Konger Siobhan Bernadette Haughey became the first person from Hong Kong to win a medal in Olympic swimming when she earned silver for the Women’s 200m Freestyle event.

Haughey, the grandniece of former Irish Taoiseach Charles Haughey, broke the Asian 200m Freestyle record with a time of 1:53.92.

Haughey’s mother is from Hong Kong and her father is Irish and the swimmer was born in and has grown up in the former British colony.

The swimmer’s previous best time was 1:54.89, which she had set in April of this year.

The 23-year-old was already the first swimmer from Hong Kong to reach an Olympic final and solidified her mane in Olympics history with her performance.

The two-time Olympian dominated proceedings for much of the race, leading the way up until the final 50m when Australian Ariarne Titmus edged her out to take gold in the event.

The silver medal makes the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Hong Kong’s most successful Olympics ever.

Fencer Edgar Cheung Ka-Long had previously won gold for the Olympic team on Tuesday – Hong Kong’s first gold since Atlanta 1996.

“My achievement, coupled with Cheung Ka-Long in fencing, can inspire other Hong Kong athletes who are here in Tokyo, and ‘add oil’ to them,” she said after her race.

The phrase is a motivational one that means to keep drawing strength.

She has shown massive improvement since her Olympic debut in Rio where she made the semis of the event and swam a time of 1:57.56.

Haughey had stated before she made her Olympic debut in 2016 that she had been approached to represent Ireland but “chose to represent Hong Kong because I was born there, raised there, and feel connected and proud to represent Hong Kong”.

Haughey raced in the Women’s 100m Freestyle Heats later on in the same day, coming second overall across all heats, behind only new Olympic record holder Emma McKeon by half a second.

Football – Monaghan v Tyrone – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage

Ulster Senior Football Championship Final – Monaghan v Tyrone – Croke Park – 4. 00 pm – RTE

Monaghan will go head to head with Tyrone at Croke Park in Dublin this coming Saturday at 4.00 pm in the Ulster Senior Football Championship Final live on RTÉ.

It was announced that the game would be moved from the Athletic Grounds in Armagh to Croke Park.

The moving of the match will be the first time since 2006 that the Ulster championship will be played at Croke Park.

Now, the Ulster Senior Football Championship Final (Monaghan v Tyrone) is set for the capital, with the winner facing Munster champions Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Both Monaghan and Tyrone are close in terms of Ulster titles won, with Monaghan winning a grand total of 16 titles to Tyrone’s 15.

The last time Monaghan lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup was back in 2015, since then, they have not reached an Ulster final.

While Tyrone’s last title was back in 2017.

2010 was the last time Monaghan and Tyrone faced off in the pinnacle of Ulster football.

Tyrone came out on top that day, winning comfortably 1-14 to 0-07 in St Tiernach’s Park in Clones.

Monaghan Retrospective

Looking into the match, Monaghan has looked hot and cold throughout the league and championship.

Avoiding relegation after defeating Galway in the relegation play-off.

In the quarter-final, they overcame a rugged Fermanagh side by 1-21 to 0-14 and then having a contender for the game of the championship against Armagh in the semi-final.

Coming out on top with a 4-17 to 2-21 victory.

Monaghan is often seen as the dark horse for the championship every season, and every year they tend to fall apart.

Can they live up to their title of dark horse remains to be seen?

Conor McManus can only do so much and on the verge of turning 35 this year, SĂ©amus McEnaney will hope his squad can perform without their star player, when and if he walks away from the panel.

Tyrone Retrospective

Tyrone were abysmal in the Allianz League, with their loss to Kerry a standout for how far behind Tyrone are compared to the elite teams.

Since then, they have knocked out current reigning Ulster champions Cavan in the quarter-final and then putting in a magnificent performance in the semi-final against favourites Donegal, pipping their rivals 0-23 to 1-14.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Without Conor McManus causing problems in the full-forward line, manager Seamus McEnaney will need to find a solution for his side’s lack of variety going forward.

Bar and injury, McManus seems set to play on, at the age of 34, he is in the twilight of his career, but if he can stay fit and get the proper service, he can make Monaghan serious contenders in Ulster and beyond.

Defeating Donegal was a shock to the system for many pundits and fans alike, showing they can play the best on any given day.

Star player and captain Mattie Donnelly is their most important player since Seán Cavanagh’s retirement in 2017.

Without Donnelly, not much emphasis will be put on this Tyrone side as major contenders.

Other key players for Tyrone is the returning Conor McShane and Conor McKenna, who both have much to prove going forward.

Conclusion

Predicting any game in the Ulster championship is difficult, Donegal and Cavan were the favourites coming into the season, and both went out with a whimper.

Just prior to the start of the championship season, Tyrone was struggling to find form, with many predicting them to bow out in embarrassing fashion, since then they have impressed many with their performances.

It will be a close game to call but based on the level of opponents faced and how they have improved ever so slightly since their league form, Tyrone will be crowned Ulster champions come Monday.

Prediction: Tyrone by 2 points

Starting Teams – TBC 

Monaghan

 

Tyrone

 

 

Betting

Monaghan: 13/8

Tyrone: 8/13

Draw: 8/1

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