It was a busy morning for Team Ireland at the European Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje, with seven sports fielding Irish representation today. All cyclists were in action in a fast paced and aggressive road race.
Joe Burke advanced to the final of the Boys’ 200m sprint on the track, and the basketball 3×3 team also progressed to the quarter finals, topping their pool.
Full round-up below, and interviews can be found on SOUNDCLOUD.
The EYOF, which takes place in Skopje, North Macedonia, runs from 20 to 26 July 2025. Live coverage of the Games, including the Opening Ceremony, is available at https://eoctv.org/.
ATHLETICS
Joe Burke faced his 200m semi-final this morning, placing second and clocking a time of 21.50. Running in lane 4, he felt like the start wasn’t his strongest, but it’s something he will work on before his final tomorrow morning.
“It was an okay race. The start wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I felt I kind of got left in the blocks a small bit. That’s just something to work on for tomorrow, but the rest of the race I felt smooth off the bend of the back straight. It was fairly good, but a small bit of tying up at the end, but it’s expected.”
Burke is taking each round as it comes and not getting ahead of himself. He now has tunnel vision for the 200m Final tomorrow and will leave everything out on the track.
“Again, same as yesterday is to take it round by round and you know tomorrow’s the final round. It’s all out war you know, everything you have is left behind you, so I’m going into it like that to see what happens.”
Molly Daly finished her EYOF competition today after she raced in her 200m Semi Final and placed 5th with a time of 24.22. Daly just narrowly missed out on a position in the Final, and placed 9th overall in the tournament.
BADMINTON
Today Hannah Shochan and Luke Marks teamed up to compete in the Mixed Doubles against Latvia’s Bajars and Gaure. With this being a knock-out round the pair, who have being prioritised the singles events, were disappointed with their performances. Several unforced errors in difficult conditions paved the way for the Latvian team to take the victory and progress to the next round. The results was 2-0 to Latvia (21:15, 21:17).
BASKETBALL
Team Ireland’s 3×3 basketball squad delivered a powerful performance in their final pool match at the EYOF this morning, defeating Latvia 20-7 to finish top of their group and secure a place in tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
The Irish side, made up of Aoibheann Donnelly, Muireann Teahan, Faye McDonnell, and Helena Keane were in control from the outset clinching another victory. Their dominant display capped off an unbeaten run in the group stages, with earlier wins over both the Netherlands and Romania.
Ireland now awaits the result of this evening’s final Group A match between Slovenia and North Macedonia, which will determine who they face in tomorrow’s quarter-final clash.
Reflecting on their pool stage success, Belfast’s Aoibheann Donnelly spoke about the experience so far,
“It’s amazing. It feels a bit surreal whenever you’re playing. It’s all kind of a blur. There’s so much to take in, but reflecting now, it’s all coming back to me; the music, the atmosphere, the outdoors, and just the whole experience of 3×3 basketball. It’s been amazing. And to get the wins has just made it a greater experience.”
Coached by Niamh Dwyer, who previously competed for Team Ireland in 3×3 at the European Games in Baku, the players are enjoying representing Ireland in a multi-sport event. Kerry player Muireann Teahan spoke about the significance of playing on this stage,
“A new day has come for 3×3 basketball. For Ireland to be competing at the EYOF is just unreal. It’s such a great opportunity, and we’re delighted to be top of our group.”
For now it is a waiting game for the team who find out later this evening who their opposition tomorrow will be. Unfazed, Kilkenny’s Faye McDonnell said,
“We’re going to play whoever comes second in Group A. That’s the way it is in this competition. It’s between Slovenia and Macedonia, so we’re going to go watch that game later and we’ll know this evening who we’re going to play tomorrow.”
In contrast to regular basketball games, the 3×3 is played outdoors, and with a smaller grooved ball. The ten-minute game holds an additional level of intensity, Dubliner Helena Keane explained,
“We are definitely adapting to playing outdoors, and even late at night sometimes, has been a challenge. But the music, the atmosphere, everything is just incredible. There’s definitely another level of physicality in 3×3 basketball. I’ve gotten a few hits myself – chest hits – but my heart will go on! It’s just been great.”
CYCLING
All six Irish riders were in action today at the cycling road races in Kumanovo, approximately 40km from Skopje. Both the girls’ and boys’ races took place on a demanding ‘out-and-back’ course, with the start time rescheduled to an hour earlier than planned due to heat. Fast-paced racing set the tone for the day.
The girls’ race covered a distance of 45.2km, with Emer Heverin finishing as the top Irish rider. She placed 17th, sprinting in the first group that contested for gold. Aoife Craig came home in 41stplace in the next group, while Katie Turner finished 60th.
The opening 4km of the girls’ race was neutralised, with riders jostling for position. Once the flag dropped, the pace surged until the hills steadied the bunch. The key split happened on the main climb when an attack fragmented the field, with Heverin making the front group. In the final 10km, the pace eased slightly during the descent until a furious final kilometre, where Heverin was part of the sprint finish.
Speaking afterwards, Heverin talked through the race,
“It was a good race. It was an out and back course, so it was hilly and then downhill. The downhills were really fast, and then the hills were hard. Once we hit the hill the girls were driving it at the front, and you just had to hang on, and try to not get dropped. It was also dodgy at points, and the last kilometre was chaos, it was just girls bunched in everywhere, swerving around you. I wanted to be a bit further up the group, but then I got unlucky on a corner. A girl crashed in front of me and her bike went flying in the air and nearly wiped me out. I probably made back up four or five places after that, but there wasn’t enough road.”
Craig unfortunately suffered a puncture towards the end of the race, and described the focus that is required when the racing is so fast,
“Your concentration needs to be so good, and that’s what tires you out most. At one stage people were shouting ‘go’ in twenty different languages, but they were looking out for each other. I got a puncture just above the hill when you’re coming onto the flap bit. It was a left-hand turn and then a right hand turn and I went up to Sprint and realised I had a puncture and then it was just trying to hang in from there really. I knew I wasn’t too far out and I only had a wee bit to go, so I was just like, if I can maybe just hang in on the back and try and see how far that gets me and not take a turn. I tried to save as much energy as possible and get to the finish with the second bunch.”
The boys’ race took place on the same course, extended to 61.4km. Like the earlier race, the fast pace led to tension and nervousness in the bunch. Caleb McGreevy was Ireland’s highest finisher, placing 46th in the first main group. Tom Lane crossed the line in 62nd after a crash in the closing kilometres, while Rían McCrystal came home in 84th.
Racing in his third competition of the week, McGreevy described the race as ‘chaotic’ saying,
“I mean from the start it was fast, the whole race we were flying, but the bunch was just very nervous, I think. There was a lot of people a bit worried, so it caused quite a few crashes. And yeah, it was just a very sketchy race. We were neutralized for a few k (kilometres). About halfway through there was a group of maybe 10 or 15 people that got away and the bunch started to stress a bit. It definitely sped up to catch them, but after we caught them, eventually, after the turning point, it kind of eased up a bit for the feed zone and it just stayed together to the finish from there. But there was a few crashes along the way.”
One of the crash casualties was Lane, the Corkman came down in the closing kilometres of the race, having been sitting in the first group with McGreevy,
“Myself and Caleb were in the leading bunch and it came to a point where we swung a right going in to the finishing road. I was going on the roundabout route on the outside, and there were grates, there were four grates on the outside around my line and there was water on the last grate going round it. So, when my front wheel hit the water, it was kind of game over. My front wheel just slipped. That’s bike racing. You don’t know what can happen to you.”
GYMNASTICS
Team Ireland’s mixed pair of Chester Enriquez and Roisin Hickey delivered impressive performances at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) today, climbing three places to finish 13th overall in the gymnastics Mixed Team event.
The competition, which pairs male and female gymnasts from the same nation in a combined-score format, saw Enriquez and Hickey achieve a total of 24.366. As a knockout-style event, it challenges teams not only on execution but also on strategy—athletes must choose which apparatus to compete on, with only the top eight pairs from the opening round progressing to the final and adding one additional routine per athlete.
Enriquez competed on the parallel bars, delivering a clean and confident routine that scored 11.833. Hickey followed with a strong performance on the beam, earning 12.533. Their combined score propelled Ireland up the leaderboard in what was a tightly contested field of Europe’s top young gymnasts.
Speaking after the competition, Enriquez reflected on the milestone moment:
“It was a great experience being part of the first Mixed Team final at EYOF that has ever happened. We did our best— even though it didn’t go to plan, it was still a good experience for both myself and Roisin, and I’m really proud that we made it to the final.”
This result adds to a week of standout performances for both Enriquez and Hickey at EYOF, with Enriquez who trains at Origin Gymnastics still set to compete in the boys’ vault and boys’ floor finals later this week.
The Mixed Team event is designed to showcase the versatility and balance of male and female gymnasts and has proven to be a popular and exciting addition to the EYOF programme.
SWIMMING
It was another strong day in the pool for Team Ireland at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Skopje, with all three Irish swimmers in action and two progressing to evening semi-finals.
Julia Dziedzic and Shea Mathers both advanced from the morning heats, continuing Ireland’s impressive swimming run this week. Dziedzic, who has raced every day of the competition so far, qualified for the semi-finals of the Girls’ 200m Individual Medley, ultimately placing 22nd overall with a time of 2:25.96. In the Boys’ 100m Butterfly, Mathers also moved into the top 24, finishing 20th overall with a personal best time of 59.68 in the semi-final.
Anna Joyce also competed today in the Girls’ 100m Breaststroke, delivering a solid swim and finishing 24th overall with a time of 1:15.78, narrowly missing out on a semi-final place.
Reflecting on her performance after another day of high-level racing, Dziedzic spoke about the pride of racing on the European stage,
“I dived in and tried to keep up with the girl beside me – that was my goal for the race. I stayed close to her for the first hundred, and then she pulled away in the second hundred. But overall, it was better than this morning, so I’m happy with that.
With the atmosphere in the pool at an all-time high, Dziedzic added,
“It’s so different from back home. You don’t get all these air horns and the crowd noise, it’s so loud. When I came up for air, all I could hear was everyone cheering. It’s crazy. Everything about it just makes you want to go again”
In the Boys’ 100m Butterfly, Mathers delivered a composed morning swim to reach his first EYOF semi-final, improving again in the evening session. Speaking after his race, he said,
“The dive and breakout were a lot better this evening. The first 50 was much smoother. I had an alright turn, but in the last 25 metres my legs just started to go. I tried to push, but I lost my rhythm a bit – but it’s all a learning experience.”
The experience of competing at this level has given him added motivation,
“It’s a lifetime experience. I’m still really happy to have made a semi-final for the first time here for Ireland. It gives me a lot of confidence for next season – I’m just buzzing now to train harder and keep pushing.”
TABLE TENNIS
Ireland’s Peadar Sheridan bowed out of the Boys’ Singles quarter-finals today, following a narrow 3-4 loss to Luxembourg’s Aaron Sahr in a high-quality contest.
Sheridan started strongly, racing into a 3-0 lead before Sahr mounted an impressive comeback to edge the match and progress. The Luxembourg player went on to win his next fixture and secure qualification for next year’s World Youth Olympics.
Speaking after the match Sheridan said,
“Yes, so I’m just after losing to Luxembourg’s number one and am very disappointed. But I did play really well to go 3-0 up. He actually went on to win his next one to qualify for the World Olympics next year, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.”
He also paid tribute to the Irish support team:
“I would like to thank Team Ireland for their support along the way and the amount of effort and commitment they put into making something like this happen. So thank you.”
Sheridan’s performances this week mark a significant step forward in his development and showcased his potential on the European stage.
RESULTS – THURSDAY 24 JULY:
Athletics, Girls’ 200m Semi-final, Molly Daly does not qualify for finals (5th in heat with xx)
Athletics, Boys’ 200m Heat, Joe Burke qualifies for finals (2nd in heat with xx)
Badminton, Mixed Doubles, Ireland (Shochan/Marks) were Beaten by Bajars/Gaure (LAT) 0-2 (15:21, 17:21)
Basketball, Girls’ 3×3 Pool Round, Ireland Beat Latvia 20-6, qualifying for the quarter finals in first.
Cycling, Girls’ Road Race, Emer Heverin 17th in sprint for gold, 1:03.01, Aoife Craig 41st in 1:05.02, Katie Turner 60th in 1:08.46.
Cycling, Boys’ Road Race, Caleb McGreevy 46th in 1:16.12 in main group, Tom Lane 62nd in 1:16.59, Rían McCarthy 84th in 1:24.22
Gymnastics, Mixed Team, 13th overall with a total of 24.366.
Swimming, Girls’ 200m IM Semi-finals, Julia Dziedzic does not qualify for final with a time of 2:25.96
Swimming, Boys’ 100m Butterfly Semi-finals, Shea Mathers does not qualify for final with a time of 59.68
Swimming, Girls’ 100m Breaststroke Heats, Anna Joyce does not qualify for final with a time of 1:15.78
Table Tennis, Boys Singles, Peadar Sheridan (IRL) Beaten By Aaron Sahr (LUX) 3-4 (11:7, 12:10, 11:9, 8:11, 8:11, 4: 11, 9:11).
SCHEDULE DAY 5 – FRIDAY 25 JULY (NOTE TIMES COULD CHANGE DUE TO HEAT):
(All times are Irish times – North Macedonia is one hour ahead)
09:00 Athletics, Girls’ 400mh Final, Ellis McHugh
09:30 Athletics, Boys’ 200m Final, Joe Burke
10:05 Basketball, Girls’ 3×3 Quarter Finals, Ireland V TBC (might be Slovenia)
10:12 Taekwondo, Girls +63kg, Charleigh Smithers
16:30 Basketball, Girls’ 3×3 Semi Final
16:35 Athletics, Girls’ Medley Relay Heat 2, Ellis McHugh, Destiny Lawal, Molly Daly, Erin Friel
17:35 Athletics, Boys’ Hammer Throw Final, Thomas Williams