IRISH IN ACTION Rowing:IRELAND'S lightweight four returned to Shunyi Park yesterday and did more than enough to qualify for tomorrow's semi-finals, reports Ian O'Riordan
The quartet of Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Gearóid Towey and Cathal Moynihan won the repechage, as they predicted, by some margin, their time of six minutes, 21.79 seconds almost four seconds clear of the Netherlands (6:25.25).
The USA were next home, in 6:27.43, but also made it through to the semi-finals, only Egypt missing out by finishing a long way back in fourth (6:37.50).
Although the Irish did not get off to the best of starts, passing 500 metres in second place to the Dutch, the gap was closed to less than a second at halfway, and upping their stroke rate to 37, the Irish were soon in front and powered home untroubled.
Their challenge for a place in the final is back on track, and they were later drawn in lane one for the second of tomorrow's semi-finals (9.20am Irish time). Immediately to their left will be last year's world champions, Great Britain.
Denmark, France, Italy and the USA complete the line-up.
The Netherlands, Poland, China, Germany, Canada and Australia go in the other semi-final, only the top three in each race going through to the final.
Although it's a big ask, Ireland's performance yesterday suggests they are not without a chance.
Sailing
LIGHT winds and strengthening tides are generating high scoring across all the Olympic sailing classes at Qingdao.
With the exception of the Star sailors, Ireland's entrants are all in action today as the pressure grows to attain best placings at the midway stage of the event.
Race-winners in the 470 class Ger Owens and Phil Lawton will be welcoming the single-race discard that comes into force following this morning's race five in the class that should bring the pair closer to the top 10 from their 13th position overall.
Tim Goodbody begins the second half of his Finn class regatta with just four races remaining to improve his 21st overall place.
Another single-hander, Ciara Peelo in the Laser Radial fleet, opened her regatta yesterday near the back of the 28-strong fleet, in 25th place following a 23rd and a 17th from the first day of racing.
Equestrian
THE GERMAN dentist Hinrich Romeike, who has time to ride his horses only in the evenings, won team and individual gold as the three-day event concluded at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong yesterday.
There were two sessions of show jumping, the first round deciding the destination of the team medals. Before Romeike, who headed the field following cross-country, even rode into the floodlit arena, Germany were assured of gold and completed on a score of 166.10.
The other riders whose efforts contributed to the win were Ingrid Klimke (Abraxxas) and Andreas Dibowski (Butts Leon).
Australia (171.20) and Britain (185.70) maintained their hold on the silver and bronze positions but the Italians had a disappointing evening and dropped from fourth to sixth (246.40).
Ireland finished eighth (276.10) of the 10 nations that completed the event.
The team's best performance over the coloured poles came from Austin O'Connor and the French-bred gelding Hobby du Mee, who remained unpenalised in both jumping sessions to finish 21st.
The individual silver medal was won by Gina Miles of the USA riding McKinlaigh, a 14-year-old Highland King gelding bred in Co Carlow by Yvonne Walsh and purchased at Goresbridge Sales.
Tina Cook, a late substitution to the British team, took bronze on the thoroughbred gelding Miners Frolic.
Three of the horses that completed Monday's cross-country phase failed to make it to the second veterinary inspection.
America's Phillip Dutton, who took part in both show-jumping rounds, was disqualified from the competition as he was found to have used boots weighing more than the stipulated 500g on Connaught.
Denis Lynch, Ireland's sole representative in the show-jumping competition, will have his initial taste of Olympic action with Lantius on Friday, when the first qualifier is scheduled for 12.15pm Irish time.
