Ireland’s next generation of sporting talent continued to make their mark across a busy week of international competition, with standout performances in cycling, encouraging progress on the road to LA 2028 in canoe slalom, and a fitting farewell for one of Ireland’s greatest-ever athletes, Katie Taylor.
Cycling
Ireland’s young cyclists delivered a series of standout performances at the 2026 Rás na mBan, securing major individual and team honours across the five-day international stage race in Kilkenny.
Celebrating the 20th edition of Ireland’s premier race for women, the Ireland National Team capped off an impressive week by winning the overall team classification, highlighting the depth of talent emerging through Cycling Ireland’s development pathway. Several riders on the squad are current or former EYOF athletes, with LA Scholarship recipient Aoife O’Brien dominating the Points classification all week, ultimately taking the jersey in Kilkenny yesterday.
O’Brien was among the stars of the race, her campaign included a dominant stage victory in Gorey, where the Ireland National Team swept the podium through O’Brien, Emma Jeffers and Emer Heverin in a memorable display of Irish strength.
Jeffers also finished the race in style, sprinting to second place on the final stage criterium in Kilkenny City against a world-class international field.
Cycling Ulster enjoyed a hugely successful week of their own, with Aliyah Rafferty securing the Kilkenny County Council Best Irish Rider award. Rafferty also finished an outstanding fourth overall in the general classification, making her the highest-placed Irish rider in the race.
Although Denmark’s Olympia Norrid-Mortensen ultimately claimed overall victory by the narrowest of margins, the Irish riders demonstrated their force repeatedly throughout the week.
Sailing
Irish sailing welcome the world as the Women’s ILCA 6 World Championship comes to Dún Laoghaire from 7-12 September, marking a historic first for the sport in Ireland.
A fleet of 110 sailors representing 45 nations will compete on Dublin Bay, bringing together many of the world’s leading female single-handed sailors as they build towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The ILCA 6 is the single-handed dinghy used for the women’s competition at the Olympic Games. With every athlete competing in identical boats, success depends entirely on speed, technical skill and the ability to adapt to changing conditions, qualities that Dublin Bay consistently tests.
The championship will be hosted jointly by the Royal St George Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club, bringing one of international sailing’s most competitive fleets to the heart of Dún Laoghaire.
Leading Ireland’s challenge will be current world number two and Irish Sailing Senior Team athlete Eve McMahon of Howth Yacht Club. She will be joined by Irish Sailing development athlete Lucy Ives of the host Royal St George Yacht Club, Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy of the National Yacht Club, and Sienna Wright of Howth Yacht Club.
Canoeing
2026 World Cup 4 – Vaires-sur-Marne, Paris.
Boxing
A Fitting Farewell for Katie Taylor
One of the greatest careers in Irish sporting history came to a memorable conclusion as Katie Taylor won the final fight of her professional boxing career in a sold-out Croke Park.
Taylor’s victory brought the curtain down on an extraordinary journey that transformed women’s boxing both in Ireland and around the world. From becoming Ireland’s first Olympic women’s boxing champion at London 2012 to headlining and winning on one of the country’s biggest sporting stages, Taylor leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond medals and titles.
Her final triumph in front of a packed Croke Park crowd provided a fitting finish to a career that inspired generations of athletes and helped redefine what was possible for women in sport.