Gymnastics
Irish junior gymnast Estella Volkoff delivered a landmark performance at the 2026 European Junior Championships in Zagreb, finishing fourth in the balance beam final and making history as the first Irish gymnast ever to qualify for a top-eight European Championships beam final.
Volkoff produced a superb routine in the final, narrowly missing out on a medal to secure what ranks as one of the most significant results in Irish artistic gymnastics history.
Reflecting on her achievement, Volkoff said:
“I’m really happy with how my routine went today. I upgraded my mount from qualification and was very happy that it went well. Finishing fourth in Europe is an incredible result and I’m just delighted.”
Equestrian
Eventing Team Secure LA28 Qualification
Ireland’s eventing team secured qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games following an excellent fourth-place finish at the FEI World Championships in Aachen.
The quartet of Ian Cassells, Pádraig McCarthy, Austin O’Connor and Aoife Clark battled for a podium position throughout the competition before ultimately finishing fourth in the world, narrowly missing out on bronze.
The result comfortably secured one of the available Olympic qualification places and continued Ireland’s impressive rise in international eventing following last year’s European silver medal success.
Aoife Clark, Ireland’s highest-placed individual finisher in 11th, reflected on the achievement:
“Everyone was saying that Olympic qualification was the priority, and it was, and it means a lot to have it, but we were a little disappointed not to get the medal. And I suppose that shows how far we have come, that we have that ambition.
“Fourth in the world is a bloody good result. We are in there among the best in the world now and that’s where we want to be.”
Dressage Team Completes World Championship Campaign
Ireland’s dressage team finished 18th overall at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, with experienced campaigner James Connor producing the team’s best individual performance.
Connor and Vanotti scored 68.276% to finish 50th individually from a field of 91 starters, while Jess Dunn and Dan Its Carston completed their first World Championship test.
“I’m ecstatic,”
said Connor afterwards.
“He’s by far the best horse I’ve ever had. He tries his hardest, he’s got so much quality and so much to offer. I think he’s going to be a wonderful horse for the future.”
Showjumping is in action from tomorrow at the FEI World Championships in Aachen, with more quota spots for LA28 up for grabs!
Hockey
Ireland’s men’s and women’s hockey teams began their 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup campaign at the weekend.
The Irish women began their campaign with a narrow 3-2 defeat to Spain, with penalty corner goals from Hannah McLoughlin and Niamh Carey twice bringing Ireland back level before Spain edged the contest in the final quarter.
They responded impressively in their second outing, securing their first victory of the tournament with a hard-fought win over New Zealand. Captain Sarah Hawkshaw opened the scoring before New Zealand equalised in the third quarter. Róisín Upton restored Ireland’s lead from the penalty spot, and Katie Mullan finished from close range after an Upton flick to put Ireland two goals clear. New Zealand pulled one back in the final minute, but Ireland held on to claim a crucial victory.
The men’s side were beaten 3-1 by Australia, but an improved second-half display and a goal from Ali Empey provided encouragement ahead of their remaining pool matches.
Swimming
Team Ireland enjoyed a hugely successful European Swimming Championships, claiming five medals, reaching ten finals and setting eleven Irish senior records.
Walshe Strikes Double Gold
Ellen Walshe starred in Paris, winning two European titles.
The Templeogue swimmer claimed gold in the 400m Individual Medley in a new Irish record time of 4:34.42 before producing another outstanding display to take 200m Individual Medley gold.
McSharry Adds Three More European Medals
Mona McSharry continued her remarkable consistency on the international stage, collecting one silver and two bronze medals.
The Sligo swimmer won silver in the 100m Breaststroke in a new Irish record of 1:05.41 before adding bronze medals in both the 200m Breaststroke and 50m Breaststroke.
Ireland also enjoyed success in the relay pool, with the women’s 4x100m Medley Relay team smashing the Irish record on their way to seventh place in the final.
Athletics
Ireland concluded an outstanding European Athletics Championships campaign in Birmingham with four individual medals, two national records and a host of top-class performances.
Gold for English and O’Connor
Mark English made history by becoming the first Irish man to win an individual European outdoor title, producing a tactically brilliant race to claim 800m gold.
Kate O’Connor added a second gold medal in the heptathlon, recording a score of 6,751 points to secure the biggest title of her career.
Adeleke and Coscoran Add to Medal Tally
Rhasidat Adeleke claimed silver in the 200m, setting a new Irish record of 22.28, while Andrew Coscoran secured bronze in the men’s 1500m to win his first senior major outdoor championship medal.
Beyond the podium performances, Ireland recorded 15 top-10 finishes and 21 top-16 placings, underlining the growing depth of Irish athletics on the European stage.