It was the same early start today for the boys and the coach at 6.30am.
The race started at 9.30 and both of the boys – Hubert and Sean had a very good run.
In the second run both boys had an excellent start but half way down they both hit a rough spot throwing then back, as a result, one lost a ski and the other missed a gate, this put both of them out of the race. O’Connor said the boys are dissapointed but there were a number of skiers who fell at the same turn. They will benefit from the experience for the Slalom. They were in 53rd (Sean Lyne) and 61st position (Hubert Gallagher) out of 101 starters in the event on the first run, very respectable for this class of field”
The 10th European Youth Olympic Winter Festival ceremoniously opened on Sunday in a packed Liberec Arena. The number of people who filled the stage at the Opening Ceremony was 1052 and the number of spectators was 4,500. It was quickly followed by the competitions in the various venues in eight winter sports: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross Country Skiing, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping and Snowboarding. The ceremonies continue each night with the medal ceremonies, fireworks and music for all the athletes.
EOC President Pat Hickey and OCI General Secretary Dermot Sherlock joined the Irish team and their families on the Alpine slope today where they congratulated Hubert and Sean on a very successful 1st run.
This evening the boys head off to watch the Ice Hockey match in the Liberec Arena – Czech Republic v Slovakia. While Victoria Bell will prepare for her Slalom race tomorrow and enjoy the medal ceremony for her event with the other members of the team.
