Sailing: Defending title-holder and 1996 Olympic Gold medallist Robert Scheidt of Brazil demonstrated his credentials off Roche's Point yesterday when he produced a convincing first-race win in the Laser World Championships at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, reports David Branigan.
The 160-boat fleet is divided into two flights and front-runner Karl Suneson took the second flight.
Ireland's Rory Fitzpatrick from the Royal Irish YC in D·n Laoghaire proved his unofficial title of national "form-horse" thanks to a 15th place in the second flight. Next best of the Irish was Gavan Jones from Howth with a 41st in the same fleet while Peter O'Leary of the host club scored a 55th place.
The event in Cork is the largest ever for the Laser class, included in the Olympics in 1996 for the first time. In 10 days' time, a fleet of 320 will compete in the Masters.
While the initial race had been postponed before a 15-knot sea breeze filled in, the weather later conspired to limit the programme to just one race as a large thunder storm produced a 90 degree wind-shift and light winds followed. Three races will be attempted today.
Rowing: A strong Irish team arrived in Brive in France yesterday for the Coupe de la Jeunesse, the west European junior championships, in which the Irish take on eight other countries.
Team manager Tom Fennessey reports that conditions at the course are broiling, but it is one of the most attractive regatta venues in Europe. The Ireland team will be hoping to follow the example of the under-23s, who brought home two silver medals from the Nations Cup in Austria last weekend.
Skibbereen coach Dominic Casey had to cancel his plans to travel with the team because of a family bereavement, so Katherine Wall of Carlow and Walter Maguire of Neptune take sole charge of coaching.
Tennis: Yvonne Doyle will not be lacking in confidence going into today's semi-finals of the ITF's Irish Womens Open tennis championships at Glasnevin, writes Pat Roche.
Afterwards Doyle insisted: "I have the game to beat anyone left in the tournament." Sixth-seeded Emily Hewson from Australia was swept aside by Doyle's whirlwind opening. She chalked up a 6-0 first set win but her form dropped in the second set.
Doyle set herself up for a semi-final place against Teryn Ashley, the number two seed from the US, with a 6-0 6-4 win in just over the hour.
Hewson got a serious grip on the match in that second set but was instantly dispatched once broken in the ninth game after a knife-edge 4-4 situation. Doyle was never going to let the chance go and served out quite venomously to 15 for the match.
Top-seed Cristelle Grier of England had to dig deep to retain concentration following a family bereavement earlier in the week. However, she gave the heavy-hitting German Claudia Kuleszka, an unranked qualifier, too many opportunities to club winners off the short ball. Grier was broken in the ninth game of the final set.
A tough two-hour match for Bostonian Ashley further underlined the competitive nature of the series. Winning a second-set tie-break enabled Ashley to push her match with Annabel Blow (England) into a final set. Once in the final session, Blow's resistance wilted.
