CANOEING: Defending K2 champion Peter Egan of Salmon Leap has teamed up with English paddler Jon Simmons for today’s Liffey Descent. Last year, Egan and Neil Fleming of Celbridge Paddlers became the first Irish pair to win the celebrated river marathon in many years. During the summer, they added the national marathon title to their list of achievements before Fleming emigrated to the USA. Egan, who recently finished 17th K1 at the World Championships, then made the call to Simmons, a regular visitor to Ireland.
They face tough opposition. With the Liffey Descent now part of the international rough water circuit, a squad of Czech C1 padders will be in action, along with a number of strong crews from South Africa. Finish this year is at the Garda Boat Club.
* A big spill at Straffan just after the start meant Egan and Simmons lost four minutes at the start. Deaglain O Driscoil and Tom Brennan avoided the carnage and went on to win from Malcolm Banks and son Liam. Egan and Simmons recovered to finish third with Jenny Egan and Ben Farrell fourth and first mixed crew. Mikey Brennan of Thomastown was first K1.
BADMINTON: A team of up-and coming Irish badminton players is competing in the Swiss Junior International badminton tournament in Lausanne Switzerland this weekend. Leading the team is Sligo’s Jonathan Dolan, who has already won the Bulgarian Junior international and the Irish Junior International this season. After yesterday’s opening matches in the men’s singles, Dolan and partner David Walsh begin their doubles campaign today (Sat).
Locally, Tony Stephenson beat Tony Murphy to win the men’s singles at last weekend’s Autumn Open in Dublin’s Terenure Centre. Earlier Stephenson and Murpy had won the doubles, beating top seeds, Niall Tierney and Daniel Magee. Caroline Coyle won the women’s singles when she beat Victoria Ringland in the final, while Keelin Hogan and Jennie King proved best in the doubles, beating Caroline O’Sullivan and Grace Webster. King also won the mixed doubles, paired with Dan Magee.
HOCKEY: Some of the top hockey nations in the world are in Dublin this week for the Electric Ireland FIH Champions Challenge I. Among them are India and Australia, who opened the tournament at UCD Belfield this morning with matches against Wales and Belgium respectively. Ireland play South Africa this afternoon, while the USA faces Scotland. Pool matches continue until next Tuesday with the Irish also playing Scotland tomorrow (Sun) and the USA on Tuesday.
* For those who can’t make Belfield, pool matches will be streamed via aertv.ie.
* Ireland beat South Africa and drew with Scotland in their first two matches.
* Ireland beat South Africa and drew with Scotland in their first two matches.
WINDSURFING: Dublin professional sailor Mikey Clancy is sailing the chilly waters of the North Sea off Sylt, Germany this week after a sensational return to the international circuit last weekend. Clancy was told he might never windsurf again after needing fusion surgery for a horrific ankle injury in 2010. He has defied medical opinion and finished 13th in the wave riding competition at a PWA World Cup event in Klitmoller, Denmark. It was a best result ever for the 22-year-old Dublin, who was given a wild card entry to the event. Also competing in Sylt is Fiinn Mullen.
ORIENTEERING: Orienteering legend Thierry Gueorgiou of France is coming to Ireland in October for a training weekend with the Irish squad. Gueorgiou, the current world No 1 and ten times world champion, will be based at the Tollymore Adventure in Co Down. He will train with the Irish Squad on the Saturday before competing in the Leinster League event in Carlingford, Co Louth the following day.
* Best of the Irish at last weekend’s Senior Home international in Ettochty, Scotland were Darren Burke and Toni O’Donovan who both finished 14th in their races.
SAILING: An special chair for disabled sailors invented by Limerick student Harry de Stacpoole has made the global semi-finals of the 2012 James Dyson award. De Stacpool started working on the Thadeus chair-system after working as an instructor with disabled sailors and noticing the problems wheelchair users had getting in and out of their boats. With this new portable chair system, sailors have complete independence and can get in and out of their boats without assistance. Finalists in the competition will be announced on October 18.
ADVENTURE: Irish adventure racer Avril Copeland and Team Dancing Pandas finished 36th at the Adventure Racing World Championships in the Ecrins Alps in southern France. They completed the gruelling 500km course in just under 175 hours of racing day and night on bikes, rafts, canoes, and ropes. Included in the race was high altitude glacier trekking. Mark Lattanzi, Pete Spagnoli and Paul Humphreys made up the team. Eoin Keith was part of the multinational BRAT-Lupine team that was forced to wihdraw from the official race early on.
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