A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Dillon seizes race lead in Kerry
CYCLING: US-based Irish woman Olivia Dillon seized the race lead in the An Post Rás na nBan in Kerry yesterday, jumping from third overall to first when she won into Waterville, writes Shane Stokes.
The Irish national team rider rode strongly throughout the tough 90 kilometre stage and broke away on the second Queen of the Mountains climb at Geokaun, 33 kilometres from the finish. Joined by four others soon afterwards, she powered clear inside the final kilometre and hit the line four seconds ahead of British rider Kimberley Ashton (Squadra Donne) and Dutchwoman Linda Ringlever (Moving Ladies).
Wednesday’s stage one winner Fiona Meade finished three minutes 23 seconds back and dropped to sixth, with Ashton seven seconds back. Melanie Spath was also in the break and is now two seconds further back in third.
Ireland move up two places to seventh overall
EQUESTRIAN: The Irish team of Shane Sweetnam, Nicola FitzGibbon, Denis Lynch and Billy Twomey moved up two places to seventh at the European show jumping championships in Madrid yesterday, writes Margie McLoone.
An excellent clear round from Billy Twomey, riding Sue Davies’s Tinka’s Serenade, left him second individually behind Carsten-Otto Nagel (Corradina). The latter is a member of the German squad which now lies second in the team standings, behind The Netherlands and ahead of France.
Importantly, Ireland are now in front of Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, three of the countries bidding for Olympic qualification at the Madrid championships. However, with The Netherlands and Sweden (sixth) also vying for a place in London, the Irish team will have to maintain their position if they are to qualify for next summer’s Games.
The team final of the European championships takes place today with the top 25 riders going through to the individual final on Sunday.
Hammam to take his battle to Cas
SOCCER: Mohamed Bin Hammam will take his battle against a lifetime ban for bribery to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after losing an appeal against the punishment. Fifa’s appeals committee yesterday rejected Bin Hammam’s attempt to overturn the ban imposed by the world governing body’s ethics committee in July.
A statement from Bin Hammam’s lawyer said: “The Fifa appeals panel . . . upheld the 23 July ruling by the Fifa ethics committee, and we will therefore be taking our appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport .” The lawyer also revealed that Bin Hammam’s legal team will take a separate case to Cas challenging Fifa’s right to appoint China’s Zhang Jilong as acting president of the Asian Football Confederation in place of the Qatari.
Bin Hammam was banned after the ethics committee ruled he was responsible for taking cash gifts from associations belonging to the Caribbean Football Union.
