Day for Ireland at the Rio 2016 Olympics was about Olympic debuts and a first look at our boxers. Weather played its part in disrupting the schedule, but there were still plenty of memorable moments for #TeamIreland
Boxing:
Steven Donnelly was delighted to come away with the win in his first Olympic fight #rterio2016 https://t.co/z8gOExe41u
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 7, 2016
Steven Donnelly recorded a 3-0 win over Zohar Kedache of Algeria to advance to the last 16 of the Men’s 69kg (Welter) competition. The Ballymena man put in a controlled performance against his 30 year old opponent to lead comfortably after two rounds. Kedache had to chase the bout in the third round but the result was never in doubt. “Always good to get the first one out of the way,” said Donnelly who was “Over the moon” with his performance.
An Irish boxer’s hand is raised for the first time at #Rio2016. Well done @Steven_Donnelly#TeamIrelandpic.twitter.com/mu4N6GH7TD
— Team Ireland (@olympiccouncil) August 7, 2016
David Oliver Joyce came through his bout against Seychelles boxer Andrique Allisop on points by unanimous decision in the first round of Men’s 60kg. One judge couldn’t separate the boxers after the second round, but Joyce’s aggression and determination saw him comfortably through.
Rowing:
High winds resulted in the postponement of the entire Day 2 Rowing Schedule at Lagoa Stadium. That meant no Heats for Claire Lambe and Sinead Lynch in the Women’s Lightweight Sculls and Paul & Gary O’Donovan in the Men’s Lightweight Sculls. FISA Executive Director Matt Smith said at a press conference that ‘the weather report is improving and we are hoping to have weather similar to last year’s Junior Championships’. Lambe & Lynch now row at 15:30 on Monday with the Men’s boat out at 15:50 (Irish time)Today’s racing has been postponed. More information to follow. #rowing #rio2016
— World Rowing (@WorldRowing) August 7, 2016
Gymnastics:
Ellis O’Reilly posted a result of 47.932 in the All-Around competition in the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics. The 18 year old recovered from a -0.300 penalty in her Floor Exercise to post scores of 13.266 in the Vault and 12.300 in the Uneven Bars. As she got to grips with the occasion, she was performing excellently on her final apparatus before a desperately unlucky dismount from the Balance Beam saw her land awkwardly. O’Reilly can look back on a memorable debut at the Rio Olympic Games and look forward to working towards Tokyo in four year’s time..@EllisOReilly1 doing @GymnasticsIre proud 😍#ArtisticGymnastics #TeamIreland pic.twitter.com/ZtS2vpe7as
— Team Ireland (@olympiccouncil) August 7, 2016
Swimming:
Shane Ryan set a new national record with a personal best of 53.85 in the heats of the Men’s 100m Backstroke. The result also qualified him in 14th place for the semi-finals making him the first ever Irish qualified athlete to make a backstroke semi-finals. Ryan was in second place at the turn with an impressive 25.49 split in Lane 1 and finished fourth despite tiring over the final strokes.
Shane finished 16th overall with a time of 54.40 in the semi-final. It was an eighth place finish, meaning his race didn’t go according to plan.
Fiona Doyle finished 20th overall in the Women’s 100m Backstroke with a time of 1:07.58. The Limerick woman missed out on a semi-final berth by just .26 seconds having finished 8th in her heat. Next up for Doyle is the 200m Breaststroke.
Equestrian:
A superb 41.80 from Jonty Evans with Cooley Rorke’s Drift in Dressage has Ireland well in contention heading into the Cross Country phase of the Eventing Team competition. Evans score places him ninth in the individual rankings and helped Ireland to place as high as third before the full round was complete. Mark Kyle’s score of 50.4 was good enough for 45th overall but it’s the personal bests from Padraig McCarthy and Clare Abbott from Day One that count towards Ireland’s score of 135.6
More: http://www.horsesportireland.ie/ireland-move-up-to-fourth-place-during-day-two-of-eventing-dressage/
Hockey:
Ireland’s second game in Group B at the Men’s Field Hockey competition went according to the world rankings as the Netherlands came through 5-0 with a clinical performance. Ireland enjoyed more possession, circle entries and penalty corners for long periods but the Dutch took every opportunity that came their way. The main concern for Craig Fulton ahead of their next outing against Germany will be the fitness of Conor Harte, who was stretchered off after a nasty bang to his hip.
#NED 5-0 #IRL in #Hockey but #TeamIreland fans showed what true support is all about. And better days lie ahead. pic.twitter.com/2LMfPTi0WX
— Team Ireland (@olympiccouncil) August 7, 2016
