How Irish fared
SWIMMING
Grainne Murphy’s decision to enter the 400me freestyle did not end happily: clearly showing the effects of the virus which had blighted her season, the Waterford girl finished last in her heat and her time of 4.19.07 was a full ten seconds outside her qualifying time. She has withdrawn from today’s 200m in the hope that she will be okay for her strongest event, the 800m, on Thursday.
Melanie Nocher used the 100m backstroke heat to limber up and while her third place finish did not secure her a place in the semi-final, it hleped her lmiber up for her best event, the 200m backstroke.
A terrible turn ruined Sycericka McMahon’s 100m breastroke: she finished last in her heat in 1.08.80.
EQUESTRIAN
IN SPITE of improved dressage performances, Ireland lie a disappointing 10th of the 13 nations in the team eventing competition following yesterday’s second session of flat work in Greenwich Park.
Co Kildare’s Camilla Speirs is best placed of the Irish quintet in equal 27th having received a penalty score of 47.60 with the diminutive Portersize Just A Jiff. England-based Aoife Clarke (above), riding Master Crusoe, is on 48.90, with Joseph Murphy, the Co Down-based Westmeath native, lying in 53rd with Electric Cruise.
Mark Kyle received 58.70 for his work with the grey Coolio which left him in 53rd, while Michael Ryanlies 64th of 74 starters with Ballylynch Adventure.
SHOWJUMPING
Showjumper Denis Lynch yesterday saw an appeal against his exclusion from the Irish Olympic team dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Lynch was contesting Horse Sport Ireland’s (HSI) decision to withdraw his nomination as one of the two riders representing Ireland at London 2012.
The ruling of the ad hoc Cas division in London ends any hope he had of ousting his late replacement Cian O’Connor from the team. The temporary court, set-up to deal promptly with appeals, found the case was outside its jurisdiction, having come more than two weeks after the HSI withdrew Lynch.
BADMINTON
Chloe Magee will be back in action tomorrow afternoon after winning her first badminton group match against Hadia Hosny of Egypt in two games last night.
After a slightly nervy start, the Letterkenny woman took the first game 21-17 and that spurred her on to a confident second game, which she won by a margin of 15 points in 10 minutes.
Magee (23), ranked 44th in the world, will face 33-year-old former world number two Hongyan Pi, in what looks likely to be the group decider.
ROWING
Latvia-born rower Sanita Puspure felt “really honoured” to represent Ireland at an Olympic Games as she reached the quarter-finals of the single sculls on Saturday.
The 30-year-old, who gained Irish nationality last year, finished third in her heat at Eton Dorney behind rivals from New Zealand and Lithuania.
She said: “It wasn’t a special performance – I’m saving the special ones for later.
“It’s going to be tough to get into the semi-final as there are some really good girls out there, but I’ll do my best. I’ll be happy to get to the B final. It’s great to have the Irish supporters behind me, screaming their lungs out today.”
