This week is a short update from a few of our sports, with some recent results as well as a list of key events taking place this weekend. Note that since our last update we have two additional athlete quota spots secured, thanks to the qualification of the 49ers in sailing.
As a reminder, the current status of Team Ireland for the Tokyo Olympics is 56 guaranteed athletes travelling to the Games, with many more sitting within qualification. The full details of the team can be found AT THIS LINK.
TOKYO SPORTS
Diving
Unfortunately, the Diving World Cup, the final Olympic Games qualifier for our Divers, has been cancelled by FINA, the International Swimming Federation. The news came after the team announcement for the event, due to take place April 18th – 23rd in Tokyo, of Oliver Dingley, Clare Cryan, Ciara McGing and Tanya Watson. We now await further information on rearrangement of the event and/or the qualification process for the Games.
Four Irish divers are chasing qualification. The current world rankings of the divers on the back of their 2019 World Championship performance are as follows:
Oliver Dingley (3M Springboard) – 18th
Clare Cryan (3M Springboard) – 24th
Tanya Watson (10M Platform) – 29th
Ciara McGing (10m Platform) – did not compete.
Equestrian
The latest FEI WORLD RANKINGS reflect the healthy state of Irish Equestrian, with 12 Irish riders inside the top 100.
Golf
Olivia Mehaffey secured a top 10 finish at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last weekend while Tokyo hopefuls Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire finished T19 and T28 respectively at the first Major Championship of the year, the ANA Inspiration. Focus turns now turns to The Masters at Augusta where Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry bid for the illustrious Green Jacket.
Hockey
The Irish women’s hockey squad are travelling to Malaysia tomorrow as part of their preparation for the conditions that they will face in Tokyo this summer. Read more HERE.
Modern Pentathlon
Both Sive Brassil and Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe have cruised into the finals at the UIPM 2021 Pentathlon World Cup Sofia 1.
Yesterday Galway native Brassil impressed in the qualification while today Kilkenny’s Lanigan-O’Keeffe rediscovered his form to comfortably qualify for the final in the first of two back-to-back World Cups in the Bulgarian capital.
Rowing
Eight boats will compete in the European Championships which take place in Varese, Italy, from the 9-11 April. This will be the first international competition of 2021 for the rowers and will be a good test of form. Currently four Irish boats have qualified for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Women’s Single and Pair, and Men’s Lightweight Double and Double. The two boats still seeking qualification are the Women’s Four and the Women’s Lightweight Double – they will have one opportunity to qualify, at the Olympic qualifier in Lucerne from the 15-17 May.
Sailing
In a thrilling final fleet race at the 49er Olympic Qualifier in Lanzarote, Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) with Sean Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) qualified Ireland for the Tokyo Olympics with a race to spare. This brings the total qualified athletes to 56, read more here
Swimming
Irish National Team Trials
Swim Ireland’s Irish National Team Trials, a qualification event for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will take place April 20th – 24th at the Sport Ireland Campus. You can watch a promotional video for the event HERE. All sessions will be live streamed.
Taekwondo
Today Jack Woolley was competing in the European Championships in Sofia Bulgaria, in the -58kg. He progressed to the quarter finals where he lost his bout to Adrian Vicente (Spain) who went on to win silver.
