Catch up on the latest results of Team Ireland athletes throughout the month of October!
Gymnastics World Championships
Rhys McClenaghan defended his World title on the Pommel horse, while also qualifying a quota spot for Team Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Securing Gold at the World Championships was the only way to qualify a quota spot for Team Ireland at the Olympic Games next year.
When asked how it felt to defend his world title, Rhys said ‘It feels great, it feels shocking hearing it, similar to the first time I got the world title last year, I can’t believe you’re saying those words! It’s all of our jobs here in Antwerp to make gymnastics look easy and it certainly is not! I am most happy about qualifying to the Olympic games for the second time, it’s a weight off my shoulders’.
Gymnastics Ireland Performance and Technical Manager, Sally Johnson said ‘What an incredible performance by Rhys & Luke, what a super team they are. We have now secured the Olympic spot for Rhys on Pommel. It took him to win this world Championships to secure the spot. I’d like to congratulate the rest of the team taking part in the world championships and especially to Sandra who was head of delegation for the event. Well done to all the coaches, clubs and judges on such great support.’
Speaking of Rhys’ achievements Ciaran Gallagher, CEO of Gymnastics Ireland said ‘Rhys has delivered yet again! Huge pressure at this worlds as an Olympic qualifier but he and coach Luke Carson navigated it perfectly! Proud is an understatement! Congratulations to our entire team out in Antwerp!’
World Coastal Rowing Championships
Team Ireland had an incredible weekend at the World Coastal Championships, returning home with four medals, including three gold.
Monika Dukarska of Kilorglin RC was crowned the world champion of Women’s Solo 1X. Closing off her season as the 2023 Womens Solo World Champion.
Dukarska was also successful in the Mixed Double Skull (CMix2X) with her teammate Ronan Byrne from Shandon RC, winning a second Gold medal.
Final Results:
- Womens Solo (CW1X)- 1st Monika Dukarska
- Womens Solo (CW1X)- 13th Laura O’Neill
- Men’s Solo (CM1X) – 1st Adrian Miramon Quiroga
- Mens Solo (CM1X) – 6th Kealan Mannix
- Men’s Solo (CM1X) – 16th Noel Creedon
- Men’s Double Skull (CM2X) – 14th Nathan Hughes, Rory O’Connor
- Mixed Double Skull (CMix2X) – 1st Monika Dukarska, Ronan Byrne
- Mixed Double Skull (CMix2X) – 5th B final Noel Creedon, Karen McCarthy
- Women’s Double Skull (CW2X) – 14th Dineka Maguire, Niamh Doogan
- Women’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CW4x+) – 10th Niamh Doogan, Katie Shirlow, Flynn Greene, Peter Doyle
- Women’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CW4x+) – 3rd Sionna Healy, Niamh Lordon, Miriam Sheehan, Rhiannon O’Donoughue, David Hussey
- Men’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CM4x+)- 12th Anthony Mcgivern, Nathan Hull, Phillip Beattie, Rory O’Connor, Ryan McNeill,
- Men’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CM4x+) – 16th Aaron Hurley, David Neale, Luke Keaney, Colm Brennan, Meabh McNamara
- Men’s Coxed Quadruple Sculls (CM4x+) – 5th B final Shay Dunne, David Collard, Jack Doyle, Peter Doyle, Martin Murphy
ILCA U21 WORLD SAILING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Howth Yacht Club’s Eve Mcmahon has won the world U21 championship title for her ILCA6 Olympic class in Tanger, Morocco on Sunday, 22 of October.
After six days of racing the Paris 2024 hopeful held her nerve and delivered a very impressive regatta coming in 14 points lower than her closest competitor.
On a windy final day of the event, she started in the middle of the fleet and worked her way up into third place shortly before the finish.
But a capsize threatened to ruin her hopes but she still managed to recover and finish the race in eighth, enough to secure the title.
“I am very happy with how Eve approached the event. She followed good processes and rolled with the punches to be consistent race by race at this event.” commented Irish Sailing’s Head Coach Rory Fitzpatrick. “This made it hard for other contenders to challenge the title towards the end of event.”
McMahon had kept her head down all week remaining focused on the process, commenting “I obviously I have to be wary of the top girls, but to be honest I’m just going to try and focus fully on myself, and do what I have been doing because it seems to be working so far.”
Sailors had the full range of conditions to compete with this week making this regatta a real test of abilities.
CLICK HERE to see how the rest of the team got on
Mia Griffin Takes 3rd At The Tour of Guangxi
Kilkenny rider taking a superb third in the Tour of Guangxi race in China on Tuesday.
Griffin finished just behind race winner Daria Piulik (Human Powered Health) and Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) in the WorldTour event, finishing on the podium in what was a 65-rider sprint to the line.
The result was by far the biggest of her career, netting her 260 world ranking points. It adds to the 10 points she clocked up on October 12th when she was eighth on the opening stage of the Tour of Chongming Island.
Griffin was sidelined for several months this season due to concussion sustained in the women’s Paris-Roubaix in April. She has built form gradually in recent weeks and greatly impressed with her performances this month.
Austin O’Connor Writes His Name Into Irish Equestrian History Books
Austin O’Connor wrote his name into the Irish equestrian history books on Sunday evening – for the second time this year – by winning the MARS Maryland Five Star.
The Mallow man became the first Irish event rider to win a five-star competition since Major Eddie Boylan and Durlas Eile won Badminton Horse Trials in 1965.
O’Connor was imperious on board Colorado Blue in Maryland, USA, all weekend and completed the victory with a clear show jumping round. The result comes off the back of a magnificent podium finish at the Badminton Horse Trials in May, which was the first time in over 40 years an Irish athlete had achieved the feat.