Each weekend, we highlight some of the performances that light up the Irish sporting landscape.

This weekend, we highlight action from the Special Olympics, the All-Ireland Football Championship, the United Rugby Championship, the Amateur Championship in Golf, Athletics and Basketball from the Netherlands, Football from the Midlands and the World Cup

This week’s Champions of the Weekend is brought to you by Dublin City Council, one of Sport for Business’s key partners and supporters of our recognition of the work undertaken by Local authorities and Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland.

 

The Special Olympians

As a board member of Special Olympics, I had the privilege of sharing in so many moments over the last four days, moments that deserve to be seen, celebrated, and absorbed by all, to show just how powerful sport can be in bringing people together.  We have written about this elsewhere, but the real winners of the weekend were the 1,200 athletes, their families and friends, the nearly 3,000 volunteers, and the sense that we can be great when we put our minds to it for others.

 

Dublin and Monaghan Footballers

All the winners deserve to feature on another great weekend for the sport of Gaelic Football, but Monaghan and Dublin have bounced back from relegation at the end of the Allianz League to show their mettle through extended Championship runs, finding form when it matters most.  They now face Galway and Louth next weekend for a place in the All-Ireland Semi-Finals

 

Leinster Rugby

Almost 40,000 went to Croke Park on Friday night to witness the first back-to-back title success in the URC era, a feat made even more notable given the disappointment of the Investec Champions Cup final only weeks ago.

 

Stuart Grehan

Stuart Grehan delivered a career-defining win on Saturday, beating Matt Moloney 1 up in the 36-hole final of the 131st Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool. The County Louth golfer, who returned to amateur status after six years as a professional, became the first Irish winner since James Sugrue in 2019. The reward is considerable, with places secured in The Open at Royal Birkdale next month, the 2027 Masters, and the US Open.  He is married to Carla Reynolds, formerly of Golf Ireland and then of Olytico, who produce our monthly Social media reviews.

 

Tennis Ireland

Tennis Ireland was the winner on Saturday as 20-year-old Henry Searle produced a stunning finals day performance at Elm Park, overwhelming the more experienced Jurij Rodionov in straight sets. The 2023 Wimbledon Boys’ champion arrived as a wildcard and ranked 354 in the world, but played well above that level to claim his first Challenger title. For Tennis Ireland, the week was a showcase of ambition, delivery and the appetite for top-class tennis in Dublin.

 

Sharon Mawdsley

The Olympian produced her third personal best of the season in the Netherlands on Sunday, hitting a 400 metre time of 50.14, having set a new personal record og 50.52 only weeks ago in Italy.

 

Ireland 3X3 Women’s Basketball

Ireland’s women’s 3×3 team reached the quarter-finals of their FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series in Amsterdam, losing out to hosts and eventual champions Netherlands 21-7 in the last eight on Sunday.

 

Lily Agg

The Irish international got her managerial career off to a flying start with a victory for Athlone Town over Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division on Saturday.

 

Ireland Men’s Hockey

The Irish Men’s Hockey team scored a 5-1 victory over the United States in the FIH Nations Cup on Saturday, as the team build up to the World cup taking place in the Netherlands and Belgium in August.

 

And one from further afield

Cape Verde

Unbeaten now on their World Cup adventure after draws with Spain and Uruguay.  Pico Lopes was a star once again as they took the lead, then went behind before coming back again with an equaliser and now have a serious chance of progressing to the knockout stages.  What a joy to watch.

 


Special Olympics Ireland, The GAA, Dublin GAA, Leinster Rugby and the United Rugby Championship, Tennis Ireland, Golf Ireland, SSE Airtricity, the FAI, Athletics Ireland and Hockey Ireland are full members of Sport for Business 

If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.

Image Credit: URC

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