BOXING
Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s women’s lightweight (60kg) Olympic final, Kellie Harrington has already made history by becoming the only Irish boxer ever to contest back-to-back Olympic finals, and the first Irish woman to win medals at two Olympic Games.
The much-anticipated women’s 60kg final between reigning Olympic champion Harrington and the number one seed in the division; Wenlu Yang of China is the last bout on the cards at the spectacular Roland Garros Stadium. The Bout is expected to start at around 10:06 Irish time, 11:06 Paris time and there will be a strong Irish presence in the Arena, including yours truly.
The pair have only ever met once before; in the World Championship final back in 2016 when both were fighting at 64kg, with the Chinese fighter the victor on that occasion. Yang is the number one seed in Paris based on her 2023 Asian Games win.
SAILING
Carlow’s Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) will contest the top ten medal race of the Men’s Dinghy in Marseilles having qualified in 10th place. In the Medal Race the course is shorter and the points scored are doubled, and added to the series points to decide the final standings.
EQUESTRIAN
Two of Ireland’s show jumpers have put themselves in poll position to battle for Olympic medals when the individual jumping final takes place at the stunning Chateau de Versailles arena tomorrow (9am Irish time).
Qualifying second and third in Monday’s qualifying round puts Shane Sweetnam (riding James Kaan Cruz) and Daniel Coyle (riding Legacy) in the perfect place tactically.
The final, involving the top 30 from today’s 66 combinations, will be run in reverse order of qualifying. That means Ireland’s pair will be among the last three to go, so will know exactly what they need to do.
If the medals are decided by time in a jump-off, as so often happens in this event, the omens are also encouraging because both of their horses showed brilliant pace, as well as being foot-sure, today.
The only combination to better the Irish men was France’s Julien Epaillard and his mare Dubai De Cedre, whose time was 73:07. Only 20 competitors went clear today. The 21st picked up a time fault and the remaining nine each had one fence down.
ATHLETICS
Tuesday morning promises to be a busy one for the Irish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with four Irish athletes set to take to the track.
Sadly Ciara Mageean had to withdraw yesterday with a long term injury that just would not come right. Heartbreak for the Portferry European Champion but she passes the torch for these games to two younger rivals in Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan get their championships underway in the heats of the Women’s 1500m.
O’Sullivan will race in heat one while Healy toes the line in heat two. The first six athletes across the line in each heat will advance to the semi-finals with all remaining athletes heading for the repechage on Wednesday morning.
Healy is ranked 17 in the World but is only the fifth highest ranked in her heat alongside the World Record Holder, World Number One and Olympic Champion Faith Kipyegong who has already won a Silver in Paris in the 5,000 metres, albeit after an appeal following an initial disqualification.
Also in the Stade de France, Sharlene Mawdsley and Sophie Becker will take to the majestic purple track for the Women’s 400m repechage. Mawdsley, who was the fastest non-automatic qualifier in the heats yesterday morning where she ran a new personal best, will race in the first of the repechage heats at 10:20am. Becker will be in the last of the four heats at 10:44am Irish time.
Only the first athlete across the line will automatically secure qualification to the semi-finals, however there will be two other fastest time qualifiers.
DIVING
One of the first in action for Team Ireland on Tuesday morning; Jake Passmore, takes to the boards for the 3M Springboard preliminary. The youngest competitor in the field, Passmore is only completing his second year in the senior ranks.
The 19-year-old, who was 44th at World Championships in 2023, qualified for the Games after a 17th place finish in the semi-final at the 2024 World Championships in Doha.
TRACK CYCLING
Team Ireland’s women’s pursuit team of Mia Griffin, Lara Gillespie, Kelly Murphy, and Alice Sharpe will being their Olympic campaign tomorrow at the Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome in the qualifying round. This is the first time Ireland has ever qualified in team pursuit at the Olympics.
In Team Pursuit each team of four riders does a 16-lap time trial to create seedings for head-to-heads. Only the top eight go through to the next stage, and following that, only the two fastest teams compete for gold and silver, with the next two fastest competing for bronze, and similarly for 5th-8th places.
SCHEDULE DAY 11 – TUESDAY 6TH AUGUST 2024
(All times are Irish times – Paris is one hour ahead)
9.00am Diving, 3m Springboard preliminary, Jake Passmore
9.00am Equestrian, Show jumping, Individual Final, Shane Sweetnan
9.00am Equestrian, Show jumping, Individual Final, Daniel Coyle
9.05am Athletics, Women’s 1500m, Round 1, Ciara Mageean
9.05am Athletics, Women’s 1500m, Round 1, Sarah Healy
9.05am Athletics, Women’s 1500m, Round 1, Sophie O’Sullivan
10.20am Athletics, Women’s 400m, Repechage, Sophie Becker
10.20am Athletics, Women’s 400m, Repechage, Sharlene Mawdsley
2.43pm Sailing, Men’s Dinghy, Finn Lynch – Medal Race
4.20pm Track Cycling, Women’s Team Pursuit, Qualifying
10.06pm Boxing, Women’s Lightweight (60kg) FINAL, Kellie Harrington V Wenlu Yang (CHN)
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