Team Ireland grows from 14 to 30 athletes and to seven sports
31 May 2016 – Dublin, Ireland: The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) is today delighted to announce jointly with Athletics Ireland, the Irish Athlete Boxing Association, Rowing Ireland, Sailing Ireland and Triathlon Ireland, that a further 16 athletes have been formally selected to represent Team Ireland at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Today’s formal selections include six athletes from athletics: three women marathon runners and three 50km race walkers.
Olympic Champion, 5x World Champion, 12x European Champion and recent bronze medallist at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships Astana 2016 Katie Taylor, increases the boxing contingent to seven boxers to date.
Rowing adds a third boat: after competing as Team Ireland’s sole rower in 2012, Sanita Puspure in Women’s Singles Sculls qualified for Rio with a confident second place at the Olympic Qualifying Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Sailing will be represented in four boat classes, and will include three first-time Olympians in Saskia Tidey, Andrea Brewster and Finn Lynch.
Triathlon have qualified Aileen Reid and Olympic Scholarship athlete Bryan Keane who the OCI has provided scholarship support towards his preparations for Rio 2016 in association with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic solidarity programme,.
Olympic Council of Ireland Chief Executive and Deputy Chef de Mission for Rio 2016 Stephen Martin said:
“Today we are formally selecting 16 more athletes from four sports and we continue to work with their national federation high performance support teams, and the Institute of Sport to ensure they have the best possible support to maximise their potential in Rio.”
First Vice President of the Olympic Council of Ireland Willie O’Brien complimented the athletes on their achievements:
“Congratulations to those athletes selected today. It’s a special day for you and I hope that you will take time to share this moment with your family and friends.”
Each week Team Ireland will expand as Olympic qualification continues and more selections for Rio 2016 will be announced.
The second group of selected athletes is made up of:
Athletics Ireland
Robert Heffernan – 50km Men’s Race Walk
Brendan Boyce – 50Km Men’s Race Walk
Alex Wright – 50Km Men’s Race Walk
Lizzie Lee – Women’s Marathon
Fionnuala McCormack – Women’s Marathon
Breege Connolly – Women’s Marathon
Irish Athletic Boxing Association
Katie Taylor – Women’s 60Kg
Rowing Ireland
Sanita Puspure – Women’s Single Scull
Sailing Ireland
Annalise Murphy – Laser Radial
Finn Lynch – Laser
Ryan Seaton – 49er
Matt McGovern – 49er
Andrea Brewster – 49erFX
Saskia Tidey – 49erFX
Triathlon Ireland
Aileen Reid – Women’s Triathlon
Bryan Keane – Men’s Triathlon
