Today's other stories in brief
Rowers win two medals
ROWING:Ireland brought home two medals, a silver and a bronze, from the Coupe de la Jeunesse at Vichy in France over the weekend, writes Liam Gorman. The Coupe is a 12-nation European Championship for junior athletes.
The silver medal came in the women’s junior pair yesterday. Zoe Mannion and Aifric Keogh finished second to Britain, who also won the event overall with a dominant peformance. The Ireland pair, rowing as Coláiste Iognáid, won the junior title at the National Championships three weeks ago.
On Saturday, Ireland’s bronze medal had come in the junior men’s quadruple scull. Shane O’Driscoll, Peter Grogan, Jonathan Mitchell and Paul O’Donovan are drawn from three different clubs which stretch the length of the country: O’Driscoll and O’Donovan (who is just 15) come from Skibbereen, while Grogan is from Offaly and Mitchell from Coleraine Academical Institute.
This year’s results were well back from last year’s stunning haul of eight medals, three of them gold.
Ireland finish second in Belgium
EQUESTRIAN SPORT: The Ireland team finished second in the European pony show jumping team championships in Belgium on Saturday, four faults behind the winners Denmark, with Germany a further four faults adrift in third, writes Margie McLoone.
Clear rounds from Kellie Allen (Ballyowen Maybell Molly), Emma O’Dwyer (Edna) and Michael Duffy (Silogue Darkie) in round one saw Ireland lead the nine nation competition on a zero score at the halfway stage from Denmark on four faults.
However, as the Danes restricted their score in the second round also to four, the Irish trio each had a fence down to complete on 12 faults. Emily Turkington and Sambo Lino were the discard score in both rounds with five and eight faults respectively.
The final of the individual competition will be held today in Moorsele as will the show jumping stage of the European pony eventing championships where Co Tipperary’s Joseph O’Brien currently lies in the silver medal position with Ice Cool Bailey, just 1.6 penalty points behind Germany’s Jule Wewer. The team is down to three members following the unseating of Jane Hannigan from Castleview Rakish Milly at the 16th of the 21 cross-country fences.
Also on Saturday, the Ireland team of Dermott Lennon (Hallmark Elite), Jessica Kürten (Castle Forbres la Vie du Fraigneau), Billy Twomey (Blue Thunder) and Conor Swail (Gold Digger) finished fourth in the Spanish nations’ cup event in Gijon on 36 faults.
The event was won by France on 17 faults, with Germany taking the runner-up spot on 25.
At home, Nicola Fitzgibbon heads into the national classes at the RDS in top form following her win in yesterday’s Brian Bagnall Associates-sponsored premier series qualifier at the South County Dublin Hunt Show in Coilog. The Kildare rider was quickest in the 10-horse jump-off on her 12-year-old gelding Puissance, the horse competing in his first 1.50m class.
Fermoy’s Brian Mangan has been appointed chair of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI)’s audit and compliance committee by the FEI Bureau.
Ellis returns to Premiership with move to London Irish
RUGBY: Dave Ellis, the Yorkshireman who has coached France's defence for the past 10 years, has returned to the English Premiership with London Irish. He begins work today as an assistant coach, under Toby Booth and alongside Mike Catt.
Ellis, who first worked with France under Bernard Laporte and will continue as one of Marc Lievremont’s coaches, has signed a one-year contract with an option to extend, after leaving Brive.
Before that Ellis was at Castres and he last worked in the Premiership with Gloucester, in 2005. At London Irish he will be reunited with Ryan Lamb, one of the emerging talents at Kingsholm when Ellis worked with the then director of rugby, Nigel Melville, and will form part of one of the most innovative coaching set-ups in English club rugby.
“I’ve been looking to get back to England for a year or so,” said Ellis, who also worked with the All Blacks before the Lions tour of New Zealand in 2005. “However, I will continue to work with France because I see working at Test level as part and parcel of becoming a better all-round coach.”
Brive, who now employ the England Test players Riki Flutey, Jamie Noon, Shaun Perry, Andy Goode and Steve Thompson, have just been sold.
Their former, free-spending owner, Daniel Derichebourg, has disposed of his controlling interest to a group of so far anonymous investors.
Hirvonen wins Finnish Rally
MOTOR SPORT: Ford's Mikko Hirvonen made it three wins in a row yesterday with a dominant maiden victory on home soil in the Finnish Rally.
The 29-year-old championship leader led from the second stage finishing 25.1 seconds ahead of Citroen rival and world champion Sebastien Loeb in second and Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala in third.
“I’ve been watching this rally since I was a kid, and now I’ve won it myself it’s an absolutely fantastic feeling!” Hirvonen said.
“The rally went exactly like we planned. I always knew it would be close with Sebastien (Loeb). I’ve enjoyed myself all weekend. It’s absolutely fantastic!”
Hirvonen’s 10th career win puts him on 68 points, three clear of five-time champion Loeb.
Feofanova to miss Berlin
ATHLETICS: Former world pole vault champion Svetlana Feofanova will miss this month's world athletics championships in Berlin (August 15th-23rd) with a leg injury.
“Unfortunately the injury does not allow me to compete at my best,” the 29-year-old Russian, who won the world title in Paris in 2003, said yesterday.
Feofanova also made the podium at the 2001 and 2007 world championships as well as the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
