Derek Burnett
Shooting
BIOGRAPHY
In Tokyo Derek achieves something only Ireland’s Robert Heffernan (race walk) and David Wilkins (sailor) have done before – competing in a fifth Summer Olympics. He was 18th in Sydney (2000), 29th in Beijing (2008) and 27th in London 2012 and came agonising close to making the final in Athens 2004 when he shot 119 out of 125 to finish ninth. He missed qualifying for Rio 2016 by the margin of just one target, after being temporarily distracted by the San Marino shooter beside him breaking his gun. Since first competing for Ireland in 1997 the Longford shooter has had three top 10 finishes at World Championships, including 5th in 2002. He has won two World Cup medals (bronze 1998 and silver 2007) and made two European Championship podiums, winning silver in 2010 and 2013. He has achieved the elusive perfect 125 in training but the closest he’s come in competition is 123 at World Cups in Granada (2013) and Tucson (2014). Derek qualified for Tokyo 2020 by shooting 121 in a World Cup event in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
SHOOTING NEWS
EUROPEAN GAMES | RESULTS & ROUND UP | DAY FIVE
European Games – Day Five of Action for Team Ireland On day five at the European Games in Krakow, Poland, Irish eyes were fixed on three sports; Boxing, Diving and Shooting. Irish fighters Jenny Lehane, Michaela Walsh, and Kelyn Cassidy all won their opening bouts at these European Games, each progressing to the last […]
TEAM IRELAND SHOOTERS NAMED FOR EUROPEAN GAMES IN KRAKOW 2023
At the European Games in Krakow, two Team Ireland shooters will be in action, contesting the Clay Target events. Aoife Gormally will be competing in her second European Games in Trap Women, while Jack Fairclough will be making his European Games debut in the Skeet Men. The venue for the Games is the Wroclaw Shooting Centre, in Wroclaw, which is 270km from Krakow City. As a sport, shooting will be […]
TEAM IRELAND SHOOTERS NAMED FOR EUROPEAN GAMES IN KRAKOW 2023
At the European Games in Krakow, two Team Ireland shooters will be in action, contesting the Clay Target events. Aoife Gormally will be competing in her second European Games in Trap Women, while Jack Fairclough will be making his European Games debut in the Skeet Men. The venue for the Games is the Wroclaw Shooting […]
RECIPIENTS OF OFI MAKE A DIFFERENCE FUND
ADDITIONAL FUNDS ADDED WITH €115,000 DISTRIBUTED ACROSS 16 SPORTS Following an overwhelming response in applications to the Make a Difference athlete fund that was announced by the OFI Athletes’ Commission earlier this year, the Olympic Federation of Ireland has channelled an additional €50,000 directly to athletes. Athletes across sixteen sports were awarded a total amount […]
O’DONOVAN AND MCCARTHY CROWNED OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS IN TOKYO
Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy were crowned Olympic champions in Tokyo this morning, as they rowed home to gold in a thrilling final of the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls in a time of 6:06.43, to pip the Germans to first place. In a thrilling race, the Skibbereen crew were sitting in second place for much […]
WOMEN’S FOUR ROWERS SECURE IRELAND’S FIRST MEDAL AT TOKYO 2020, O’DONOVAN AND MCCARTHY POST WORLD’S BEST TIME WHILE BOXER KURT WALKER CAUSES MAJOR UPSET IN THE RING
Ireland’s first medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was secured in rowing this morning as the superb Women’s Four of Aifric Keogh, Eimear Lambe, Fiona Murtagh and Emily Hegarty won an Olympic bronze in thrilling fashion. The Irish quartet were lying fifth at the halfway mark and, as they passed the 1000m mark, they […]