Sport

Sports Digest

Kürten off to a flyer Jessica Kürten got her Monte Carlo campaign off to a flying start with a win and a fourth place on the…

Fri Jun 23 2006 - 01:00

Kürten off to a flyer Jessica Kürten got her Monte Carlo campaign off to a flying start with a win and a fourth place on the opening day of the money-rich fixture in Monaco, reports Grania Willis.

The world number two brought out her Athens Olympic ride Castle Forbes Maike for the opening speed class and, stopping the clock on 48.41 seconds, claimed the honours by fractionally under a second from Ukrainian runner-up Gregory Wathelet.

Army rider Captain David O'Brien kept the Irish in the frame when slotting Kilteely into seventh, 4.8 seconds off the pace set by his winning compatriot, who earned €2,250 for the win.

Kürten added a further €1,800 to her tally in the following accumulator but had to settle for fourth behind German Otto Becker, who broke the 33-second barrier with a time of 32.43.

READ MORE

While Kürten and O'Brien are in action as individuals in Monte Carlo, along with Marion Hughes and Neal Fearon, the Ireland A and B teams are facing up to the big Nations Cup pressures over the next 24 hours.

Robert Splaine is in charge of the A team that will be aiming for a good result in Rotterdam this afternoon in the hope of climbing off the bottom rung of the Samsung Super League ladder.

Ireland are drawn third to go this afternoon and Splaine has called Shane Breen in as pathfinder with World Cruise. He will be followed by Captain Shane Carey (Killossery) and Cian O'Connor (Echo Beach), with Billy Twomey in as number four, making a welcome return with the stallion Luidam.

Tommy Brennan is at the helm in Drammen, Norway, where the Ireland B team are on non-Super League duty.

Three on shortlist

Russia's Sochi, Salzburg in Austria and Pyeongchang in South Korea were named yesterday on a shortlist to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The three beat off competition from Bulgarian capital Sofia, Jaca in Spain, Almaty in Kazakhstan and Georgia's Borjomi.

The IOC's executive board, whose 15 members include IOC president Jacques Rogge, announced the narrowing of the field during a three-day meeting at its headquarters in Switzerland.