Each weekend, we highlight some of the performances that light up the Irish sporting landscape.
This weekend, we highlight action in Gaelic Football, Gymnastics, Ladies Gaelic Football, Golf, Tennis, Drift Racing and Cycling, as well as recognising a special night in the NBA
This week’s Champions of the Weekend is brought to you by PwC, one of Sport for Business’s key partners and supporters of our recognition each year of the Sport for Business PwC 30 under 30.
Louth Men’s Footballers
A spectacular weekend of action across the remaining 16 teams in the All-Ireland Football Championship. A strong case could be made for Cork defeating Donegal in Ballybofey, but to come from two points down and win a game with a goal via the very last kick of the game secures the riband this week for the footballers of Louth, who did just that to Armagh in Iniskeen on Sunday afternoon. With the draws for Round 3 this morning to determine the last four quarter-final teams, the only team yet to taste defeat in the provincial and All-Ireland series is Galway.
Cork Ladies Footballers
Cork had already lost to Armagh and were five points down with seven minutes to play against Waterford on Saturday night, but a Katie Quirke penalty and then the same player hitting the winning point with five seconds left added no little drama to the TG4 All-Ireland Championships.
Ireland’s Gymnasts
Team Ireland’s gymnasts delivered a golden weekend, with the Junior Women’s team taking team gold and Irish athletes adding 11 individual medals across the junior and senior competitions. Roisin Hickey led the way, winning the junior all-around title, floor gold and beam silver, while Estella Volkoff took beam gold, floor silver and all-around bronze. Lauren Kelly finished fourth all-around. At senior level, Mimi Moloney won the all-around title and added bronze on vault and beam. Blathnaid Higgins claimed vault gold, and Kate Molloy topped the uneven bars final with a score of 11.900.
Ammar Elamin
Ammar Elamin produced one of the standout Irish performances of the weekend at the ATP Challenger 75 Dublin, adding to his ATP ranking points with a superb win over eighth seed Andy Andrade. The Irish wildcard, playing in his first ever Challenger event, came through a dramatic three-set contest 6-2, 1-6, 7-5. After starting strongly, Elamin had to withstand a determined fightback from the Ecuadorian before showing real composure in the closing stages. After two hours and twelve minutes, he sealed a memorable victory and a major step forward on the professional circuit.
Irish Para Cyclists
Irish para cyclists enjoyed another medal-filled day at the UEC Para Cycling European Championships in Maniago, Italy. Richael Timothy claimed the WC3 road race title, adding gold to the time trial bronze she had won on Friday, after outsprinting Aniek van den Aarssen and Tifany Huot Marchand at the line. Heather Jameson completed a superb debut at the European Championships with a bronze in the WC4 road race, matching her earlier time-trial medal. In the WB tandem race, Sinead Greenan and Alice Sharpe took silver, with Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly adding bronze to Ireland’s podium haul.
Alex Butler
Dublin’s Alex Butler took top honours at Red Bull Drift Pursuit at Mondello Park after a dramatic afternoon of high-intensity drifting action. Butler edged out Derry’s Dylan Wilson in a closely fought final showdown, with Waterford’s Jakub Krzyszczak completing the podium in third place. Antrim’s Callum Coogan also made the final four, with all four drivers earning wildcard entries into Drift Masters qualifying. The result gives them the chance to test themselves against some of the biggest names in global drifting, and marks a strong showing for Irish talent on the Mondello Park stage.
Kate Dillon
Kate Dillon became the inaugural East of Ireland Women’s Amateur Open Champion after a dramatic finish at Woodbrook Golf Club. The Oughterard golfer produced a brilliant birdie on the 18th to force a playoff with Olivia Costello, then delivered again under pressure on the second playoff hole. A superb approach set up another birdie, sealing a memorable victory in Wicklow and a place in history as the first winner of the new championship.
And one from across the Atlantic…
The New York Knicks
The New York Knicks ended one of basketball’s longest waits in style, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 to win the NBA Finals. The Game 5 victory sealed the series 4-1 and delivered the franchise its first NBA title since 1973. Having edged a dramatic Game 4 by a single point, the Knicks carried that momentum on the road and closed out the championship in San Antonio. It was a historic night for one of the NBA’s most storied teams, and a landmark moment for a fanbase that had waited more than half a century for another title.
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