Irelands most likely Olympic 2012 Medals

FitzjamesHorse · 19-01-2012 2:01am

Dan man wrote: »

Grainne has already made the 800m time so she is London bound. Our women's 4x200m relay squad look a very decent bet for qualification, just missed out at the world championships where top 12 teams secured qualification. Fast time this year should see them qualify as one of the 16 teams on the starting blocks for the Olympics.

oops my mistake......wrong Murphy.

Dan man · 19-01-2012 6:31pm

Big week coming up for our medal prospects in the sailing. Annalise Murphy and the men's star duo Peter O'Leary and David Burrows are out in Miami to take part in the opening World Cup event of 2012. Although Olympic qualification is secure this is a vital stop-off on their preparations for the London Olympics.
Here is a great article on the sailors, outlining that they have huge potential and includes superb graphs showing that if they get their consisitency in order, we have world beaters in the Irish ranks. Annalise Murphy for the majority of the competition is head and shoulders above the rest but lets herself down in one or two races putting her behind the leading girls. I listened to a radio interview with her a few weeks ago and she says she knows exactly why this happens and believes she can iron it out. Let's hope so.

http://www.afloat.ie/resources/water-rat/item/17735-sailing-medals-on-the-horizon-if-inconsistency-can-be-ironed-out

Dan man · 20-01-2012 8:56pm

Ireland's men's hockey team continued their preparations for the Olympic qualifying tournament in a few weeks time with a 4-1 loss against Netherlands in Alicante, Spain. This was the first of 3 scheduled training matches for the lads and they play the Dutch again on Sunday.

Dan man · 20-01-2012 10:39pm

Ireland's badminton player Scott Evans has made a welcome return to form. He is through to the quarter-finals of the Swedish Open which should bag him more Olympic ranking points. This comes after last weeks ranking event the Estonian Open in which he reached the quarter-finals before having to pull out of his match due to a wrist injury. His match tomorrow morning is scheduled for 10:30am Irish time. I think you can watch it via this link:

http://t.co/7uofFBCN

Cosmo Kramer · 21-01-2012 2:16pm

Dan man wrote: »

Ireland's badminton player Scott Evans has made a welcome return to form. He is through to the quarter-finals of the Swedish Open which should bag him more Olympic ranking points. This comes after last weeks ranking event the Estonian Open in which he reached the quarter-finals before having to pull out of his match due to a wrist injury. His match tomorrow morning is scheduled for 10:30am Irish time. I think you can watch it via this link:

http://t.co/7uofFBCN

He was unfortunately beaten in that one this morning after a good start.

http://www.tournamentsoftware.com/sport/matches.aspx?id=44A5CD3F-5D45-42C5-9579-B7AF53D1C3DF

Dodge · 21-01-2012 5:30pm

Roy Moylette loses in the QF of the Irish senior championships. Barring injuries, that means no Olympic qualifiers for him

Dan man · 21-01-2012 5:42pm

Dodge wrote: »

Roy Moylette loses in the QF of the Irish senior championships. Barring injuries, that means no Olympic qualifiers for him

I think the IABA said there will be box-offs closer to the Olympic qualifying tournament to decide who will represent Ireland at the final qualifier. Moylette has disappointed since winning the Europeans last year.

Dan man · 22-01-2012 2:56pm

UPDATE: Tori Pena added 10cm to the Irish indoor record in the pole vault and 5cm to her absolute best (indoor and outdoor). She still is 5cm short of the A-standard but it is encouraging form and bodes well for the rest of the season.

Here is a useful table with Irish athletes that can be updated as the season progresses.
Athletes in bold have achieved the A qualifying standard.
Athletes in red have achieved the B qualifying standard.
(A) = A standard
(B) = B standard
(B*)= B standard, but A standard has been achieved by another athlete in that event.

MEN:ATHLETE|EVENT|OLYMPIC STANDARDS|2012 SEASON BEST|2011 S.B.|PERSONAL BEST|
Jason Smyth|100m|A=10.18secs;B=10.24secs||10.22secs (B)|10.22secs|
Jason Smyth|200m|A=20.55secs;B=20.65secs||20.94secs|20.94secs|
Paul Hession|200m|A=20.55secs;B=20.65secs||20.51secs (A)|20.30secs|
Steven Colvert|200m|A=20.55secs;B=20.65secs||20.76secs|20.76secs|
David Gillick|400m|A=45.30secs;B=45.90secs||46.64secs (injured)|44.77secs|
Brian Gregan|400m|A=45.30secs;B=45.90secs||45.96secs|45.96secs|
Thomas Chamney|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||injured|1:45.41mins|
Paul Robinson|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||1:47.31mins|1:47.31mins|
Mark English|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||1:47.09mins|1:47.09mins|
David McCarthy(1983)|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||1:46.62mins|1:46.62mins|
Darren McBrearty|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||1:47.79mins|1:47.79mins|
Dave Campbell|800m|A=1:45.60mins;B=1:46.30mins||1:51.13mins (injured)|1:45.59mins|
Ciaran O'Lionaird|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||3:34.46mins (A)|3:34.46mins|
Thomas Chamney|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||injured|3:36.83mins|
Rory Chesser|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||3:42.94mins|3:40.08mins|
Paul Robinson|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||3:42.29mins|3:42.29mins|
John Travers|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||3:42.07mins|3:42.07mins|
Darren McBrearty|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||3:42.68mins|3:42.68mins|
Dave Campbell|1,500m|A=3:35.50mins;B=3:38.00mins||injured|3:39.18mins|
Alistair Cragg|5,000m|A=13:20.00mins;B=13:27.00mins||13:03.53mins (A)|13:03.53mins|
Mark Christie|5,000m|A=13:20.00mins;B=13:27.00mins||13:28.21mins|13:28.21mins|
Mark Kenneally|Marathon|A=2:15:00hrs;B=2:18:00hrs||2:13:55hrs(A)|2:13:55hrs|
Sean Connolly|Marathon|A=2:15:00hrs;B=2:18:00hrs||2:17:23hrs (B*)|2:17:23hrs|
Thomas Fraser|Marathon|A=2:15:00hrs;B=2:18:00hrs||2:19:42hrs|2:19:42mins|
Ben Reynolds|110m Hurdles|A=13.52secs;B=13.60secs||13.75secs|13.75secs|
Thomas Barr|400m Hurdles|A=49.50secs;B=49.80secs||50.06secs|50.06secs|
Robert Heffernan|20km Walk|A=1:22:30hrs;B=1:24:30hrs||1:20:54hrs(A)|1:19:22hrs|
Robert Heffernan|50km Walk|A=3:59:00hrs;B=4:09:00hrs||3:49:30hrs(A)|3:45:30hrs|
Brendan Boyce|50km Walk|A=3:59:00hrs;B=4:09:00hrs||3:57:58hrs (A)|3:57:58hrs|
Colin Griffin|50km Walk|A=3:59:00hrs;B=4:09:00hrs||no time recorded|3:51:32mins|
Michael Doyle|50km Walk|A=3:59:00hrs;B=4:09:00hrs||no time recorded|no time recorded|
Jamie Costin|50km Walk|A=3:59:00hrs;B=4:09:00hrs||no time recorded|3:50:51hrs|

WOMEN:ATHLETE|EVENT|OLYMPIC STANDARDS|2012 SEASON BEST|2011 S.B.|PERSONAL BEST|
Ailish McSweeney|100m|A=11.29secs;B=11.38secs||11.89secs (injured)|11.40secs|
Amy Foster|100m|A=11.29secs;B=11.38secs||11.49secs|11.49secs|
Amy Foster|200m|A=23.10secs;B=23.30secs||23.53secs|23.53secs|
Niamh Whelan|200m|A=23.10secs;B=23.30secs||23.87secs|23.30secs|
Joanne Cuddihy|400m|A=51.55secs;B=52.35secs||51.82secs (B)|50.73secs|
Ciara Mageean|800m|A=1:59.90mins;B=2:01.30mins||2:02.31mins (mixed race, not recognised by IAAF)|2:02.31mins (mixed race)|
Ciara Mageean|1,500m|A=4:06.00mins;B=4:08.90mins||4:07.45mins (B)|4:07.45mins|
Fionnuala Britton|5,000m|A=15:20.00mins;B=15:30.00mins||15:21.45mins (mixed race, not recognised by IAAF)|15:21.45mins (mixed race)|
Mary Cullen|5,000m|A=15:20.00mins;B=15:30.00mins||injured|15:19.04mins|
Fionnuala Britton|10,000m|A=31:45.00mins;B=32:10.00mins||no time recorded|no time recorded|
Mary Cullen|10,000m|A=31:45.00mins;B=32:10.00mins||33:02.74mins|32:21.42mins|
Linda Byrne|Marathon|A=2:37:00hrs;B=2:43:00hrs||2:36:20hrs (A)|2:36:20hrs|
Ava Hutchinson|Marathon|A=2:37:00hrs;B=2:43:00hrs|2:35:33hrs (A)|2:42:48hrs|2:35:33hrs|
Maria McCambridge|Marathon|A=2:37:00hrs;B=2:43:00hrs||2:40:26hrs (B*)|2:35:29hrs|
Gladys Ganiel-O'Neill|Marathon|A=2:37:00hrs;B=2:43:00hrs|2:40:56hrs (B*)|2:41:22hrs(B*)|2:40:56hrs|
Catriona Jennings|Marathon|A=2:37:00hrs;B=2:43:00hrs||2:43:08hrs|2:43:08hrs|
Fionnuala Britton|3,000m Steeple Chase|A=9:43.00min;B=9:48.00mins||9:37.60mins (A)|9:37.60mins|
Stephanie Reilly|3,000m Steeple Chase|A=9:43.00min;B=9:48.00mins||9:42.91mins (A)|9:42.91mins|
Roisin McGettigan|3,000m Steeple Chase|A=9:43.00min;B=9:48.00mins||no time recorded|9:28.29mins|
Derval O'Rourke|100m Hurdles|A=12.96secs;B=13.15secs||12.84secs (A)|12.65secs|
Jessie Barr|400m Hurdles|A=55.50secs;B=56.65secs||56.62secs (B)|56.62secs|
Deirdre Ryan|High Jump|A=1.95m;B=1.92m||1.95m (A)|1.95m|
Tori Pena|Pole Vault|A=4.50m;B=4.40m|4.45m (indoor) (B)|4.40m (B)|4.45m (indoor)|
Kelly Proper|Long Jump|A=6.75m;B=6.65m|5.98m (indoor)|6.45m(indoor)|6.62m (indoor)|
Olive Loughnane|20km Walk|A=1:33:30hrs;B=1:38:00hrs||1:31:55hrs (A)|1:27:45hrs|
Laura Reynolds|20km Walk|A=1:33:30hrs;B=1:38:00hrs||1:35:34hrs (B*)|1:35:34hrs|

Dan man · 22-01-2012 5:33pm

Young Co.Down hurdler Ben Reynolds has just tweeted that he has just received official clearance to race for Ireland. Fantastic bit of news there. He is a great talent for the future.

Dan man · 22-01-2012 5:40pm

In men's hockey news, Ireland put in a much improved performance against powerhouses of the sport the Netherlands, losing narrowly 2-1. The teams will meet for a third and final time on Tuesday at 1pm Irish time. Great preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.

Cardinal Richelieu · 22-01-2012 6:57pm

This thread is entitled " Irelands most likely Olympic 2012 Medal" by the OP but it seems to have descended into who might be on the plane to London. Who are the actually medal contenders?

Dan man · 22-01-2012 9:44pm

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

This thread is entitled " Irelands most likely Olympic 2012 Medal" by the OP but it seems to have descended into who might be on the plane to London. Who are the actually medal contenders?

Overall, I'd say there are around 10 events whereby Irish athletes have at least an outside chance of medals. Here are some of those most likely to step onto the podium:

1. Katie Taylor (women's lightweight boxing):
She is favourite for gold but still has to qualify for the Olympics.

2. John Joe Nevin (men's bantamweight boxing):
Twice a world bronze medallist and he should be thereabouts. He can beat anyone but not a certainty to deliver.

3. Michael Conlan (men's flyweight boxing):
He is quickly emerging as a huge talent and reached the world championship quarter-finals. He only lost that tie by just one point to the eventual silver medallist and he is in with a real chance of silverware in London.

4. Darren O'Neill (men's middleweight boxing):
O'Neill reached the quarter-finals in the world championships bowing out to the silver medallist from Japan. He has won a European silver medal in 2010 and while not amongst the favourites for a medal could surprise us. Needs a kind draw.

5.Paddy Barnes (men's lightweight boxing):
Barnes is a former European gold medallist and of course won a magnificent Olympic bronze medal in Beijing aged only 18. He had a disappointing year last year as he was injured for the Europeans and had to withdraw and didn't box well at the World Championships. If he comes through the Olympic qualifiers and seems to be returning to his best form then a medal is well within his reach.

6.Joe Ward or Kenny Egan (men's heavyweight boxing):
These two outstanding boxers will compete for only one available spot on the Irish team. Egan has the experience of an Olympic silver medal but is at the twilight of his career. Outside shot of a medal but not likely. Could beat Ward though.
Joe Ward is the reigning European champion (which he won aged 17!!) and if he can come by the sizable obstacles of Kenny Egan domestically and then the Olympic qualifying tournament, then he will be in with a huge chance of a medal.
Note: any other boxers that go on to qualify have a decent shout of a medal but will need a kind draw at the Olympics.

7.Robert Heffernan (50km Walk):
He is likely to go very close to the medals in the 50km walk. Possibly our best chance outside of the boxers. He will probably walk a personal best at the Olympics and if he does he will be in the hunt for a medal. The reason why I think he will have a P.B. in London is due to the fact that he has only raced the distance a couple of times and set an Irish record at the European championships in 2010, placing 4th. He raced the 20km walk just 4 days prior to this and set off at a conservative pace as he didn't have experience with the pacing required. This meant he finished stronger than any other athlete and was very close to the medals. Two years on he has more experience with the distance and has trained more specifically for the 50km walk and even if he attempts the 20km/50km double in London, there is a 7 day rest as oppposed to the 4 day rest he had in 2010 when he set the Irish record. Looking very promising.

8. Annalise Murphy (women's laser radial sailing):
Annalise is in with a huge shout of a medal. Her 6th place finish overall at the world championships does not do justice to the potential she has. She won more races at the worlds in her category than anyone else and at the London test event in Weymouth (the host of Olympic sailing regatta) she won more races than any other sailor in any category men or women bar a certain Ben Ainsley (triple Olympic champion), with whom she tied in amount of races won. She could be bringing home a medal next year.

9.Peter O'Leary and David Burrows (men's star sailing):
Similar to Annalise, this pair have the potential to win a medal and are outstanding sailors at Weymouth where the Olympics will be staged. They compete in the same category as some of the best sailors in Olympic history but they have the ability to be medal winners.

10.Aileen Morrison (women's triathlon):
Aileen is consistently amongst the world's top 10 performers and has won medals at big events on the circuit over the last couple of seasons. It might be a big ask for her to claim an Olympic medal but there is no doubt she has the potential to put in a huge performance on the day.

We have other outside chances of medals such as individual showjumping, Ciaran O'Lionaird in the men's 1,500m, Martyn Irvine in track cycling Omnium and perhaps Olive Loughnane in the 20km walk. You never know with a bit of luck on the day what could happen.

FitzjamesHorse · 22-01-2012 11:24pm

Well it would be a short thread if it was just about Gold, Silver or Bronze. And I think that getting on the plane is the first step.
The Olympics "works" better if we think of being part of a "whole" rather than in individual terms.
Boxers are always in with a shout. And Id be absolutely delighted if K Taylor got Gold.
I take the point about Annalise Murphy and being in (almost) home waters might be an advantage.

I would not rule out Show Jumping....again London is close to home and we have seen enough good Irish performances for decades.
Nor would I entirely rule out Cycling.

Dodge · 23-01-2012 11:07am

The thread emerged naturally as a general Olympics thread. Think it was even stated in one of the early posts.

Agree that individual showjumping and road race cycling are decent outside bets for medals. We have competitors in both that can easily match what the rest of the world offers. They just need a few things to fall for them and they could medal.

Dan man · 24-01-2012 12:45am

It's been a slow start for Ireland's sailors at the World Cup regatta in Miami.
Annalise Murphy is in 13th overall after 2 races, posting 17th and 19th placings in her opening races.
Things are little better for Star fleet duo Peter O'Leary and David Burrows after 10th and 12th finishes in the first 2 races sees them into 11th place overall.
James Espey, who narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification at the World Championships, is in an impressive 11th spot overall after posting two 12th place finishes in the men's Laser. He still has hopes of competing at the Olympics and a good performance in Miami will do his confidence no harm at all. Mixed fortunes so far but all still to play for. Annalise and the Star fleet have had an average enough start to the regatta but it is by no means a disastrous start. All to play for.

finbarrk · 24-01-2012 2:16am

Looking good for our 2 riders to qualify as individuals in the Showjumping. They are almost there!

Dan man · 24-01-2012 2:39am

finbarrk wrote: »

Looking good for our 2 riders to qualify as individuals in the Showjumping. They are almost there!

Indeed, in fact it is pretty much inconceivable now that they won't go on to qualify. Such a pity we didn't qualify for the team event as it is a decent chance of a medal squandered. Ireland not qualifying a team for 2 Olympics consecutively is a bit of a shocker to say the least. It is astonishing that a country with such rich tradition in equestrian sports has never won a medal at an Olympic Games (bar Cian O'Connor but his medal had to be returned). Considering there are only a dozen or so countries that consistently perform well on the international stage, it is very strange that we haven't medalled. Not a rant, just remarking on a disappointing statistic.

Dodge · 24-01-2012 11:20am

We have a poor record in World Championships too, but at least we do have those 3 medals.

Lynch and Twomey currently have the top 2 Eropean places, with 3 to qualify (just in case anyone bad Dan Man and finnbark was wondering)

FitzjamesHorse · 24-01-2012 3:29pm

I think the problem with Show Jumping is that there was too narrow a definition of the word "amateur". This meant that combinations such as Dundrum/Tommy Wade or Goodbye/Seamus Haues never competed in Olympic Games. The broader definition happened during the later stages of Eddie Mackens career.
I think it is also fair to say that the needs of "competition" is actually secondary to the perceived needs of the Horse Breeding industry. For many Show Jumping is little more than a showcase for horse dealers. The tradition is that the best riders have a sideline in "dealing".
From the perspective of a sports fan, we might prefer that there are some gold medals. From the perspective of the "dealer" a big sale of a 6 year old horse to Germany or USA or Saudi Arabia is really what its all about.
Equestrian Sport is.........for want of a better word......pragmatic.

Re Cian O'Connor .......am I also right in saying that Denis Lynch was actually leading the Olympics in 2008 when he was disqualified.

Eventing........no medals at Olympic level but I recall John Watson (father of Olympic panelist Sam Watson) got a silver at the World Championships in Kentucky. Basically Irish combinations do well in the cross country and as I recall at Kentucky, no British rider completed the course and one came up with the novel excuse that "the fences were too high". Yes, that would explain it.

John Watson was also on the 1980 squad which was nominated for Moscow.
The Equestrian team withdrew and actually only Italy of the major equestrian nations actually competed. The Soviet Union won the gold team.

I declare an interest. I was at the 1980 Games and the Three Day Event was one of the tickets I had.

Dan man · 24-01-2012 4:45pm

Yes, at the 2008 Olympics Denis Lynch was on a clear score going into the final round before him and a string of others were pulled out of the competition (something to do with a cream used on the horse which contained banned substances).
Three day eventing is something which we need to be targeting more specifically as there is scope for potential medals at Olympic Games.

Dan man · 24-01-2012 4:47pm

In men's hockey, Ireland went down 3-1 against the Netherlands in Alicante today in the third and final test match between the sides. A respectable performance from the lads and hopefully they will use this preparation as a stepping stone to a big performance at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Dublin.

Dan man · 24-01-2012 11:54pm

Day 2 at the Miami Sailing World Cup regatta and better news for the Irish.
Peter O'Leary and David Burrows have climbed into 9th position overall in the men's keelboat Star after a 15th and a 2nd place finish in today's races. Annalise Murphy has risen 2 positions in the women's Laser radial and now sits in 11th place overall after an 8th and 19th place in her races today. Winds were very light today (between 5-9 knots) and anyone who has been following her progress will be mindful that Annalise enjoys much more breezy conditions. Nevertheless she is reasonably well placed in her 60 boat fleet and will be hoping to continue to improve as the competition progresses.
James Espey is is 19th position overall in the 78-boat strong Laser fleet, a commendable performance so far.

finbarrk · 25-01-2012 1:24am

Dan man wrote: »

Yes, at the 2008 Olympics Denis Lynch was on a clear score going into the final round before him and a string of others were pulled out of the competition (something to do with a cream used on the horse which contained banned substances).
Three day eventing is something which we need to be targeting more specifically as there is scope for potential medals at Olympic Games.

Our dressage scores usually let us down there. We are usually very competitive in the CC and the Jumping.

Dan man · 25-01-2012 3:02am

finbarrk wrote: »

Our dressage scores usually let us down there. We are usually very competitive in the CC and the Jumping.

Yes, dressage has always been our "achilles' heel" but in recent times some of our three-day eventers have been posting much more respectable scores in the dressage element (anything under a penalty score of 50 is competitive) but followed up with mistakes in the cross-country which was frustrating.
We know the area which requires improvement yet we seem to stumble from one Olympic cycle to another and nothing much changes. There needs to be a strategic plan in place to bring up the standard of dressage that will see vast improvements in our position in the team event. Obviously I am out of my depth discussing this issue but it is fair to say that progress is very slow, but as I said there are some signs that we are moving in the right direction. Ginny Elliott, the team manager of the eventing squad seems to have brought a bit of direction to the event and hope we continue to build for Rio, where we could medal if preparation is put in place. Preparation would need to begin now.

FitzjamesHorse · 25-01-2012 3:54am

I think theres a difference in National & International Eventing. Most Irish events......to me the Cross Country is actually quite daunting........and thats where events are won and lost.......here.
This is an event which has its roots in "Cavalry" and the Irish always seemed to hope that if they were in a decent place after Dressage, then the Cross Country would sort them out. And the Irish over-relied on their horses just passing the Vetinary inspection on the final morning to get into the team medals thru having a complete team.

Dressage scores by (typically) Germans, Austrians, Danes, Dutch, British always put them in the driving seat and they seem to have developed on that.....they can get thru the Cross Country.
I think that the fences at Eventing have become more "artistic" and less demanding............now of course thats excellent for animal welfare which of course I support.......but I think it makes Irish teams less competitive internationally.

Dressage itself....I think we have had Anna Merveldt-Steffans (sp) at two Olympics and now possibly a third. Inevitably this means that Dressage Ireland is reliant on competitors training and living abroad, being born abroad and opting for Ireland.........

But while it is the Riders who get the medals, its the horses that do the work and the very discipline that makes for good dressage scores is not like the sheer courage a horse needs to tackle a cross country course. And as always with horses, its about Breeding.....the best dressage horses are not Irish bred.

Can an Irish team ever bridge the gap? I really doubt it but clearly Ginny Elliott and others have tried to work on the dressage element.

But the Eventing includes three elements and two of them Dressage and Show Jumping are sports in themselves. A dedicated Cross Country sport would be a big boost to Ireland.

Point of Trivia.......my alias Fitzjames Horse is the name of a Franco-Irish cavalry regiment.

Dan man · 25-01-2012 7:28pm

In hockey news. the Irish ladies have beaten South Africa 2-1 in their test match in South Africa. An end-to-end game with little between the sides but a penalty corner in the dying seconds was scored by Cliodhna Sargent to steal the win for the Irish. Fantastic result.

makl · 25-01-2012 11:56pm

Dan man wrote: »

I think the IABA said there will be box-offs closer to the Olympic qualifying tournament to decide who will represent Ireland at the final qualifier. Moylette has disappointed since winning the Europeans last year.

only recovering from wrist operation - from boxing forum

Dan man · 26-01-2012 1:13am

Good day for our sailors at the Sailing World Cup regatta in Miami.
In the men's keelboat star, Irish duo Peter O'Leary and David Burrows had a very solid day with two 3rd place finishes in their two races, pushing them up to 6th position in the overall standings.
In the women's laser radial, Annalise Murphy won the first race of the day and followed this up with a decent 11th place in the second race to move up to 9th position overall.
James Espey in the men's Laser class had a very good day placing 6th in the first race and 9th in the second. He remains in 19th position overall but has closed the gap between himself and those directly ahead.
Very good day for the sailors and they are on the move up the overall standings. All to play for.

Dan man · 26-01-2012 2:41pm

Ireland's men's hockey team put up a great battling display to draw 1-1 with Great Britain in their test match in the U.K. today. The two sides will renew acquaintances tomorrow again.

Dan man · 26-01-2012 11:38pm

Ireland's sailors continue to battle hard out in the Miami waters at the Rolex World Cup of sailing.
In the men's keelboat star, Irish duo Peter O'Leary and David Burrows finshed 7th and 6th in today's races and are now 7th overall.
Annalise Murphy had a mixed day with a 6th place and an unfortunate 27th place finish (which is the discard score so far) but remains in 9th position in the overall rankings.
James Espey had a hard day out in the water today with two 35th place finishes in the gold fleet of the men's laser. He is now in 24th place overall, a creditable display so far.
Tomorrow is the final day of fleet racing before Saturday's medal races, where the top 10 boats in each fleet will contest the decider.

Dodge · 27-01-2012 12:46pm

IN Taekwondo, the final qualification tournament is happening this weekend in Kazan. 3 Irish are going for the final 3 spots in each weight category. Bobby Enright (80kgs) is ranked 11th, Sonya McConnell (57kg) is ranked 15th.

Jenny Hurley is ranked 11th and has already beaten the 15th ranked Swedish girl. The quarter finals are on now, and the top seed has just been beaten by the 16th seed

You can see live scoring here; http://www.tpss.nl/LiveResults.asp and the ranks here; http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103540043178-122/EQT+athletes+list+with+ranking_V2.pdf

Dodge · 27-01-2012 1:30pm

Jenny Hurley lost in the Quarter Finals to the Russian girl. No Olympics for her

Dan man · 27-01-2012 4:54pm

Another good result for Ireland's men's hockey team with a 2-2 draw with G.B today.

Dan man · 27-01-2012 7:54pm

Irish women's hockey team went down 1-0 to Belgium in a preparation match in South Africa today.

Dan man · 28-01-2012 12:51am

The final day of fleet racing at the Miami World Cup of Sailing has seen more decent performances from the Irish crews.
In the men's keelboat star, Peter O'Leary and David Burrows put in two superb performances to finish 2nd and 3rd in today's races to qualify for tomorrow's medal race and are in 6th place overall.
Annalise Murphy had another race win in race 10, following up her 8th place finish in race 9. She now moves up to 7th place overall and like the Star duo, she too qualifies for tomorrow's medal showdown.
James Espey had a better day today finishing in 26th and 20th in his two races to finish the competition in 24th place overall. An encouraging performance from the 21-year old Laser sailor.
The medal races get underway tomorrow. Best of luck to the Irish crews.

Dan man · 28-01-2012 6:59pm

In taekwondo news, at the European qualification tournament for the Olympics in Kazan, Russia Irish athlete Sonya McConnell has missed out on the chance to secure an Olympic berth as she was beaten in the preliminary round of the -57kg category, losing 9-2 to her opponent from Azerbaijan.
Ireland's last chance for Olympic qualification in taekwondo will come tomorrow when Bobby Enright takes part in the 80kg category. Best of luck to him.

Dan man · 28-01-2012 7:18pm

At the sailing world cup in Miami, Annalise Murphy had a very disappointing finish to her competition, finishing 10th out of 10 boats in today's medal race. This result dropped Annalise back to 9th place overall and she will probably be disappointed with this result. Neverthless, it is more experience banked away which will no doubt be useful to draw on come the Olympics.
Better news for the Star duo, Peter O'Leary and David Burrows who finished the regatta in 5th place overall after a solid 4th place in today's medal race.
Overall this has been an encouraging regatta for the Irish crews, all performed to a high level at a top quality event and maintains the contention that our sailors have what it takes to win a medal in London.

Men's Star - Peter O'Leary/David Burrows 5th
Women's Laser Radial - Annalise Murphy 9th
Men's Laser - James Espey 24th

Dan man · 29-01-2012 3:10am

In South Africa, the Irish women's hockey team suffered a 1-0 defeat to their hosts in their third preparation match and second match against South Africa. They won the first game 2-1 before losing 1-0 to the Belgians.

Dodge · 29-01-2012 1:27pm

No taekwondo representatives. hard luck to all 3

Dan man · 31-01-2012 3:05am

The national boxing stadium is the place to be next Friday as the hunt for Olympic qualification enters a crucial stage. Michael Conlan (Fly), John Joe Nevin (Bantam) and Darren O'Neill (Middle) have all secured their spots in London, however there are opportunities in each of the other Olympic categories to claim a place at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Trabzon, Turkey (April 13-22). There are some mouth-watering clashes on the cards on Friday, in particular that men's light-heavy division where there is the meeting of Kenneth Egan (Olympic silver medallist) against young Joe Ward (European champion and current national champion). Michael McDonagh v David Oliver Joyce should be a humdinger also. Really looking forward to the bouts. Promises to be a mammoth encounter. All kicks off 7:30pm Friday, 3rd February.

48Kg: Light-flyweight Lynne McEnery (St Paul's) v Oliwia Samsanov (Cavan)
49Kg: Light-flyweight Paddy Barnes (Holy Family) v Hugh Myres (Ryston)
52Kg: Flyweight Michael Conlan (St John Bosco) v Chris Phelan (Ryston)
56Kg: Bantamweight John Joe Nevin (Cavan) v Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
57Kg: Featherweight Michaela Walsh (Holy Family) v Dervla Duffy (Ryston)
60Kg: Lightweight Michael McDonagh (St Marys) v David Oliver Joyce (St Michael's Athy)
64Kg: Light-welterweight Ross Hickey (Grangecon) v Stephen Coughlan (Bray)
69Kg: Welterweight Adam Nolan (Bray) v John Joe Joyce (St Michael's Athy)
75Kg: Middleweight Darren O'Neill (Paulstown) v Conor Coyle (St Josephs)
81Kg: Light-heavyweight Joe Ward (Moate) v Ken Egan (Neilstown)
91Kg: Heavyweight Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett) v Christy Joyce (St Michael's Athy)
91+Kg: Super-heavyweight Con Sheehan (Clonmel) v Sean Turner (Drimnagh)

Dan man · 31-01-2012 11:53am

Irish judoka Lisa Kearney has taken another step towards Olympic qualification after a 5th place finish at the World Cup event in Bulgaria.

Dan man · 01-02-2012 8:35pm

Lisa Kearney will take part in the French Grand Slam event on Saturday 4th February in pursuit of vital qualification points for the Olympics as she seeks to secure her spot in the -48kg judo for London. It will be a hard task for Kearney to win points at this event as it is generally a higher standard than the World Cup events in which she performs reasonably well. It will be good to see her test her skills against the world's best as it's the ideal way to push on to the next level. Best of luck to her.

Dan man · 03-02-2012 6:12pm

Don't miss the National Boxing Finals tonight, RTE begin their coverage at 9:30pm, should be great viewing!

Dan man · 03-02-2012 10:49pm

What a fight, Ward takes the title 29-10 and advances to the Olympic qualifiers. Immensely proud to be Irish after watching that, I've huge respect for Kenny Egan, and his response to defeat was very refreshing, spoke with humility and dignity. Joe Ward is some boxer, such an exciting prospect. Can't remember Egan ever getting beaten by such a big scoreline, and to do it in such an important fight bodes well for Ward's Olympic chances.

Blue Magic · 04-02-2012 12:36am

Sparks wrote: »

I love how no-one's mentioned Derek Burnett or Philip Murphy yet. I guess winning the World Championships (twice in Philip's case) and dozens of World Cup and Continental Championships events in Olympic Shotgun shooting doesn't get reported on much...

Ya, they'd have a good SHOT alright

Blue Magic · 04-02-2012 12:43am

Dan man wrote: »

Another good result for Ireland's men's hockey team with a 2-2 draw with G.B today.

Have they, or the female team, qualified for London 2012?

Also, do you know of a list anywhere online of the competitors qualified on Team Ireland so far for the Olympics? Could you post the link if there is please?

Thank you

Dan man · 04-02-2012 2:21am

Blue Magic wrote: »

Have they, or the female team, qualified for London 2012?

Also, do you know of a list anywhere online of the competitors qualified on Team Ireland so far for the Olympics? Could you post the link if there is please?

Thank you

The hockey teams will take part in an Olympic qualifying tournament in the spring with the winners of the tournament securing their spot in London.

The men's team will have home advantage and will be in with a good shout based on their current form and continuing improvement. The qualifying tournament for the men will take place 10th-18th March and Ireland will take on South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Chile and Ukraine. As I said, they need to win the tournament to qualify as there is no second chance. The teams play in a round-robin group and the top 2 teams will play-off in a winner-takes-all showdown.

It's a similar story for the women's hockey team but they must travel to Belgium (17th-25th March). They will come up against hosts Belgium, Spain, Russia, France and Mexico. The women have a good shout of making the Olympics also but will need to get past teams such as Belgium which they have found hard to beat just recently. Spain will be a challenge also. Nevertheless, there is little between the teams and Ireland have as good a chance as any.

As for Irish Olympic qualifiers, Dodge provided us with an up-to-date list a few pages back. I've copied and pasted his post here for your convenience. Expect many more qualifiers in the coming weeks and months (we should have between 50 and 60 competitors in London).

Athletics- 12

Men
200m - Paul Hession
1,500m - Ciaran O'Lionaird
5,000m - Alistair Cragg
Marathon - Mark Kenneally
20k walk - Rob Heffernan
50k walk - Rob Heffernan, Brendan Boyce

Women
100m hurdlees - Derval O'Rourke
3,000m steeple - Fionnuala Britton/Stephanie Reilly
Marathon - Linda Byrne
20k walk - Olive Loughnane
High Jump - Deirdre Ryan

Boxing - 3
Michael Conlon (Flyweight - 52kg)
John Joe Nevin (Bantamweight - 56kg)
Darren O'Neill (Middleweight - 75kg)

Swimming - 2
Barry Murphy (100m breast)
Grainne Murphy (800m free)

Triathlon - 1
AIleen Morrison - Womens

Sailing - 3 (5)
Annalise Murphy - Laser Radial
Seaton/McGovern - 49er
Burrows/O'Leary - Star

Gymnastics - 1
Kieran Behan (Mens individual)

Cycling - 4
Men's Road Race - 3 spots
Men's Time Trial - 1 spot

Blue Magic · 04-02-2012 2:29am

Dan man wrote: »

The hockey teams will take part in an Olympic qualifying tournament in the spring with the winners of the tournament securing their spot in London.

The men's team will have home advantage and will be in with a good shout based on their current form and continuing improvement. The qualifying tournament for the men will take place 10th-18th March and Ireland will take on South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Chile and Ukraine. As I said, they need to win the tournament to qualify as there is no second chance. The teams play in a round-robin group and the top 2 teams will play-off in a winner-takes-all showdown.

It's a similar story for the women's hockey team but they must travel to Belgium (17th-25th March). They will come up against hosts Belgium, Spain, Russia, France and Mexico. The women have a good shout of making the Olympics also but will need to get past teams such as Belgium which they have found hard to beat just recently. Spain will be a challenge also. Nevertheless, there is little between the teams and Ireland have as good a chance as any.

As for Irish Olympic qualifiers, Dodge provided us with an up-to-date list a few pages back. I've copied and pasted his post here for your convenience. Expect many more qualifiers in the coming weeks and months (we should have between 50 and 60 competitors in London).

Athletics- 12

Men
200m - Paul Hession
1,500m - Ciaran O'Lionaird
5,000m - Alistair Cragg
Marathon - Mark Kenneally
20k walk - Rob Heffernan
50k walk - Rob Heffernan, Brendan Boyce

Women
100m hurdlees - Derval O'Rourke
3,000m steeple - Fionnuala Britton/Stephanie Reilly
Marathon - Linda Byrne
20k walk - Olive Loughnane
High Jump - Deirdre Ryan

Boxing - 3
Michael Conlon (Flyweight - 52kg)
John Joe Nevin (Bantamweight - 56kg)
Darren O'Neill (Middleweight - 75kg)

Swimming - 2
Barry Murphy (100m breast)
Grainne Murphy (800m free)

Triathlon - 1
AIleen Morrison - Womens

Sailing - 3 (5)
Annalise Murphy - Laser Radial
Seaton/McGovern - 49er
Burrows/O'Leary - Star

Gymnastics - 1
Kieran Behan (Mens individual)

Cycling - 4
Men's Road Race - 3 spots
Men's Time Trial - 1 spot

Less than I thought. Thanks a lot anyway

Dan man · 04-02-2012 6:02pm

Barring any unfortunate injuries we now know the Irish boxers who will head off to Trabzon, Turkey to the final Olympic qualifier (April 13th-22nd):

49kg: Light Flyweight Paddy Barnes 4 places available (needs to reach the semi-finals)
60kg: Lightweight Michael McDonagh 4 places available (needs to reach the semi-finals)
64kg: Light Welterweight Ross Hickey 1 place available (needs to win the tournament)
69kg: Welterweight Adam Nolan 2 places available (needs to reach the final)
81kg: Light-Heavyweight Joe Ward 3 places available (needs to reach the final to guarantee qualification or reach the semi-finals, having lost to the eventual winner of the tournament)
91kg: Heavyweight Tommy McCarthy 1 place available (needs to win the tournament)
+91kg: Super-Heavyweight Con Sheehan 2 places available (needs to reach the final)

Blue Magic · 04-02-2012 8:21pm

Dan man wrote: »

Barring any unfortunate injuries we now know the Irish boxers who will head off to Trabzon, Turkey to the final Olympic qualifier (April 13th-22nd):

49kg: Light Flyweight Paddy Barnes 4 places available (needs to reach the semi-finals)
60kg: Lightweight Michael McDonagh 4 places available (needs to reach the semi-finals)
64kg: Light Welterweight Ross Hickey 1 place available (needs to win the tournament)
69kg: Welterweight Adam Nolan 2 places available (needs to reach the final)
81kg: Light-Heavyweight Joe Ward 3 places available (needs to reach the final to guarantee qualification or reach the semi-finals, having lost to the eventual winner of the tournament)
91kg: Heavyweight Tommy McCarthy 1 place available (needs to win the tournament)
+91kg: Super-Heavyweight Con Sheehan 2 places available (needs to reach the final)

One would like to assume that both Paddy Barnes and Joe Ward could qualify there. If we got that, plus perhaps another surprise addition, we could have 6/7 boxers (Katie Taylor inclusive) in the Olympics and could out-do the Beijing performance

Irelands most likely Olympic 2012 Medals

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