Winter Games

Thos Foley has finished 31st of 82 starters in today's Giant Slalom event in Sestriere. Thos who improved on his 35th position from this morning's run finished with an aggregate time of 2:57.42, 22.42 seconds down on event Winner Benjamin Raich of Austria. The race was held on the Sise course in Sestriere which has a vertical drop of 450 metres.

David Connolly finished 20th overall after his two runs in the Skeleton event on Friday evening. David was in a solid 21st position after the 1st run and pulled out all the stops to improve his standing on the 2nd and final run.

Rory Morrish, Ireland's sole competitor in the 15km Classic Cross Country event has unoffically finished 88th in one of the toughest events on the Winter Olympic programmes.

Ireland’s Kirsty McGarry is almost certain to give the Ladies Super G event on Sunday next (Feb 19 at 12 noon) a miss in order to concentrate on the Ladies Slalom events scheduled for Feb 22nd and 24th.

“It will be the proudest moment of my life”, says Kirsty. The Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games will take place in the Olympic Stadium (former home of Juventus FC), Turin, on Friday next February 10th and the honour of being Ireland’s flag bearer and leading the Irish team into the Olympic Stadium in the Parade of |Nations goes to downhill skier Kirsty McGarry (age 20) from Dalkey, Co. Dublin.

The qualification of Wicklow’s David Connolly in an Olympic qualifying event in Konigsee, Germany earlier this week completes the Irish team line-up for next months Winter Olympics in Turin. However, there is a very slim possibility that the Hoey sisters may yet get a place in the Womens Bobsleigh event and final news is expected on this by Monday next (Jan 30).