13:00 Sailing
Women’s Laser races 4 and 5
Ciara Peelo begins the day lying in 23rd position.
Men’s Finn races 8 and 9
After seven races in the Finn class Tim Goodbody lies 21st overall.
Due to no wind at Qingdao today all racing was cancelled.
Tomorrow three races are scheduled for Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Yngling. Racing is to start at 12:00 for each of the fleets. The intention is to finish the Preliminary Series in Finn and Yngling, weather permitting.
Racing is to start at 12:00 in the RS:X Men and RS:X Women were two races are scheduled.
Two races are also set for the 470 Men, 470 Women, Star and Tornado. Racing for those fleets are to start at 13:00. Three races are scheduled in the 49er fleet, from 14:00.
15:15 Boxing Light Heavyweight
Ken Egan v Bahram Muzaffer (Turkey)
Ken Egan is within one win of claiming an Olympic medal after beating Bahram Muzaffer 10-2 today. He’ll now meet Brazilian Washington Silva in the quarter-finals next Tuesday.
Afterwards Egan said, “I was happy enough with the performance, it was controlled you know. It was a bit of an edgy start but I was happy with the performance overall, a win is a win after all at the end of the day.”
“I was happy with the lead at the start, I was told by the coaches I was a couple up but then it’s all about building on your lead and that’s what I done. The second round I increased the lead and so on. I was nervous enough at the start because I’ve seen him around, he’s won a couple of fights out on the international scene and I knew he wasn’t a bum but I just stuck to my game plan, I was scoring with a couple of good left hands and some hard hits to the body and he didn’t really what to know in the third and fourth rounds, he came out breathing heavy and I just took it from there.”
“I was in control and that’s the way I like to box, I like to be in control and I like to draw the attack and counter attack.”
“I’m going to relax now and take a day off and we’ll get back to things on Saturday and get the hard work down and make sure I’m ready for next Tuesday.”
16:20 Rowing – Men’s Lightweight Four Semi-Final
Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Gearoid Towey, Cathal Moynihan
The rowing programme was called off due to thunderstorms in the Shunyi area. It will take place tomorrow with the semi-final of the lightweight four scheduled for 16:20
20:00 Boxing Light Welterweight
John Joe Joyce v Felix Diaz (Dominican Republic)
Joyce was cruelly beaten on countback by Felix Diaz of the Dominican Republic at light-welterweight after the bout finished level on points at 11-11.
It was the first defeat for an Irish boxer in their fifth contest of the Games.
After the fight Joyce admitted, “The first round was his big round; he came out with guns blazing throwing a lot of punches. I was trying to get out of the way but the first round let me down.”
Joyce was much better throughout the rest of the fight and trailing by three points in the third round he picked Diaz off to get himself level and was 9-8 up with two minutes remaining. He was still a point ahead with fifteen seconds left but got caught with a left that meant the scores finished level and Diaz got the verdict.
“I tried to get back into the fight and I got back into it and the last fifteen seconds I was up by a point and I just got caught with a big shot. I lost it there on the countback and he deserved it, he’s a good fighter but I should have done better,” he said.
20:25 Swimming – Women’s 200m backstroke
Melanie Nocher
Melanie Nocher followed in the footsteps of Andrew Bree at these Olympics and broke her Irish record in the 200m backstroke in the heats at the Water Cube yesterday.
The City of Belfast swimmer clocked a time of 2:12.29 seconds shaving .42 of a second of her old mark of 2:12.71 set at the UK Championships last month.
She won her heat but missed out on the semi-finals finishing in 20th place.
“Couldn’t be more pleased,” she said afterwards. “I was nervous going into it but I’d calmed down by the time I got out there and I just remembered to enjoy myself and that’s what I did and I really concentrated hard especially on the last 50m. It was hurting but I got to the wall and looked up and was .4 faster so that was good,” she added.
Not bad for the 20 year old appearing in her first Olympics, now she can’t wait to get back into the pool again.
“I really can’t wait to get back into training and do some fast times.”
Her excellent swim also justified the decision of the Olympic Council of Ireland to initially select her on a ‘B’ standard time looking ahead to London 2012.
“I was pretty confident I was going to do something good so I just had to believe in myself and it paid off. London is my goal but these have been a great Games to be part of.”
