A round-up of other sports news in brief
O'Rourke's good form continues as Doha looms
ATHLETICS: Twelve days before the World Indoor Championships in Doha and the Ireland team continues to go from strength to strength, writes Ian O’Riordan. Derval O’Rourke underlined her medal winning aspirations with a season’s best over the 60 metres hurdles in Floro, Norway, on Saturday – running a satisfying eight seconds flat, although this left her a little short of the winner Christina Vukecivic, who ran a Norwegian record of 7.94 seconds.
Rose-Anne Galligan became the 10th Irish athlete to qualify for Doha after running a 1,500-metres personal best of 4:12.72 when competing at the Spanish championships in Valencia also on Saturday. This improved her previous best of 4:15.13, and is inside the 4:15.0 required to book her flight to Qatar – where she thus joins Kelly McNeice, who had already qualified in the event.
Athletics Ireland will finalise the team for Doha later today, with six athletes originally selected on February 8th: David McCarthy (800 metres), Claire Brady (60 metres), McNeice (1,500 metres), Deirdre Byrne (3,000 metres), Kelly Proper (long jump), and O’Rourke (60 metres hurdles). The four additional athletes to qualify are David Gillick – who remains the second-fastest in the world this season with his 45.54 seconds for 400 metres – as well as fellow 400-metre runner Brian Gregan, who ran 46.68, and also Hazel Murphy, who ran 9:02.81 to qualify for the 3,000 metres, and now Galligan.
Kü rten moves up the rankings
EQUESTRIAN: Jessica Kürten has moved into third place in the Rolex FEI World Cup rankings following her win on Castle Forbres Libertina in the Gothenburg yesterday afternoon, writes Margie McLoone. Kürten and Lady Georgina Forbes’s 14-year-old mare bettered the time set by Dermott Lennon, though a late bid by Germany’s Marcus Kutscher prevented an Irish one-two. At home, Cian O’Connor filled the top two places in the Horse Sport Ireland Chippison Grand Prix at Cavan.
Roche third in Switzerland
CYCLING: Irish road race champion Nicolas Roche showed his form is certainly on the up when he finished third in the GP Insubria in Switzerland on Saturday, writes Shane Stokes.
The Ag2r La Mondiale rider was part of an 11-man break which went clear after the final climb, less than five kilometres from the finish. He went a little early in the sprint and was passed by race winner Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) and José Joaquán Rojas (Caisse d’Epargne) before the line, while world champion Cadel Evans was fifth.
In Belgium, the An Post Grand Thornton M. Donnelly Sean Kelly team registered another fine result on Saturday when Niko Eeckhout finished seventh in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad semi-Classic, previously known as Het Volk.
Meanwhile the Irish domestic scene got underway with a number of races held around the country. Yesterday, Philip Lavery won the Paddy Neary Trophy near Dundalk, while Sean Lacey (The Edge Racing) scooped the Lacey Cup in Tralee. Bobby Kane (Ballymoney CC) won the Phoenix GP event, and Thomas Cole (EuroCycles) took Saturday’s Annaclone GP.
Evans takes Nenagh rally
MOTOR SPORT: Welsh driver, Mel Evans (Subaru WRC) won the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh Rally in the opening round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship.
At the conclusion of the six stage event, Evans finished 22 seconds ahead of the similar car of Derek McGarrity, with reigning Group N champion, Kevin Kelleher (Mitsubishi) a further 21 seconds behind in third. Mike Quinn (Escort), who was fifth overall, was the top finisher in the Modified category.
Evans led from the start – an opening eight-second advantage over McGarrity became a 10-second lead after a pair of stages as Kevin Barrett took up the role of principal rival. Maguire was a mere three seconds behind in third, with Kelleher fourth but McGarrity slipped to fifth.
Evans went on to secure victory. while a late charge saw McGarrity claim second, with Kelleher third. Maguire had to be content with fourth. The Group N category was won by Stephen Cullen (Subaru).
McCarthy to face Egan in final
BOXING: Ken Egan and Tommy McCarthy will meet in a repeat of the 2009 light heavyweight final next Friday after both men recorded last four wins at the Elite National Senior Championships at the National Stadium at the weekend, writes Bernard O’Neill.
Nineteen-year-old McCarthy saw off the brave challenge of Galway’s Michael Ward, winning 6-3 to set up a re-match of last year’s decider which Egan won 9-5. Egan, 28, registered a comprehensive 21-2 victory over Denis Hogan in his semi-final.
John Joe Joyce will meet defending champion Willie McLaughlin in the welterweight final after beating his St Michael’s Athy team-mate and friend Roy Sheehan 8-2.
European Youth champ Jason Quigley had to come from behind to beat Eamon O’Kane in an all-Ulster middleweight semi-final. Flyweight Conor Ahern produced a blistering final frame to beat Michael Conlon by a three-point margin.
Commercial's eight best
ROWING: Commercial’s senior eight were by far the best crew on show at the Cork head of the river in Cork city on Saturday, writes Liam Gorman.
The Dublin men had over 20 seconds to spare over Cork Boat Club’s eight and won the Denis McSweeney Trophy for the fastest crew on the day.
IT Tralee’s Monika Dukarska was the fastest women’s single sculler. In Belfast, at the Lagan Scullers’ Head of the River, Laura D’Urso of City of Derry took the corresponding prize.Turlough Hughes of King’s Hospital impressed again in the men’s single scull, but organisers were still finalising their result sheet last night due to a “systems failure”.
