Italian Yellow at end of Tour de France
Vincenzo Nibali completed his successful Tour de France victory in Paris on Sunday, bringing to an end a dramatic three weeks of racing that saw crashes cost the two race favourites their places in the race and TG4 bring us the best of the action through a nightly highlights show that was second to none.
Also worthy of mention was the Tour diary complied daily in the irish Independent by Nicolas Roche. The final instalment covers the team buses getting lost on the way to the final stage start and a real insight into what it is like on one of the toughest sports events of the year. Roche will be racing in Dublin against Irish Champion Jockey Pat Smullen in a bike versus beast challenge at Leopardstown on August 14th.
All Roads to Galway
Plans and last minute preparations will have taken place in racing stables up and down the country at the weekend in advance of the seven day Galway races which get under way in Ballybrit this evening.
Trainer Dermot Weld is bidding for his 23rd win in the opening race of the meeting which is one of the busiest sporting and entertainment festivals of the summer drawing Galwegians from the four corners of the globe and punters from every town and village in Ireland.
Gold Haul for Young Irish Swimmers
Following on from the success of Ireland’s young soccer women last week, our international youth swimming team have been performing with distinction at the Canadian National Age Group Championships.
The team have won four gold, two silver and five bronze medals with 13 year old Antoinette Neamt leading the way with a nine second personal best record in the 1500 metres. That leaves her only seconds outside the qualifying time to compete at the Senior World Championships. The Tallaght Swimming Club member who trains at the National Aquatic Centre is very much one to watch in the coming years.
Pressure Mounts on Russia 2018
Only two weeks after the conclusion of the 2014 World Cup pressure is mounting in political circles for FIFA to ditch not only the Qatar hosting of the 2022 Finals but also Russia’s staging of the next tournament in 2018. Politicians in Britain have suggested that in light of Russian alleged involvement in the shooting down of a Malaysian Airline jet over the Ukraine that it would be ‘unthinkable’ for a Russian hosting of such a global event to go ahead.
The last time Britain called for a boycott was in 1980 at the Moscow Olympics. Some heeded the call but among those who ignored it and went to the games were Sebastian Coe and Colin Moynihan who both went onto successful political careers.
La Course Returns
Another highlight of this year’s Tour de France was the welcome return of a Women’s element.albeit only for the final stage. Campaigners had fought for the Tour to recognise women in a more substantive way than having them kiss stage winners on the podium and yesterday that cam to pass when Marianne Vos won La Course, a 13 lap race around the Champs Elysees Circuit two hours before the Men’s race concluded. It will hopefully herald greater recognition for Women’s cycling in road racing to match that on tracks.
