Your guide to the Irish in Action in London on Friday.
Irish Schedule
Noon Athletics (400 metres)
Joanne Cuddihy will be relatively pleased with her draw for these first round heats of the 400m, with the Kilkenny athlete in lane four, although with two big names outside her – defending champion Christine Ohuruogu from Britain, who has run 50.42, and the American Francena McCorory, with a best of 50.06. Only the top three, and the three fastest losers, progress, and Cuddihy’s season’s best of 51.43 might need improving if she’s to make the top three, but she’s certainly capable.
From 12.05pm Sailing
Any realistic chance of a medal appeared to slip away for David Burrows and Peter O’Leary yesterday, as they failed to exert any pressure on the leaders. In ninth overall, they should still qualify for Sunday’s medal decider but need solid performances in today’s final two regulation races (12.05pm and 1.20pm).
Two indifferent results on Wednesday allowed the fleet to close back in on Annalise Murphy but with the right conditions, the Dublin sailor is virtually untouchable on the Weymouth course. The next two races in the Laser Radial start at 1.35pm and 2.50pm.
Sailing more for pride than anything else at this stage, James Espey starts the day 45th in the Laser standings. With no chance of a place in the medal race, Espey can use the remainder of this regatta to gain vital experience.
A busy day for the 49ers, Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern have three races (1.30pm, 2.15pm and 3pm) that could make or break their Olympic campaign. In ninth, but with seven races remaining, this crew are still capable of bridging the gap on the leaders.
Ger Owens and Scott Flanigan endured a rough start to their Olympic campaigns yesterday, finishing 23rd of the 27 starters. The Dublin-based duo will need to improve if they are to contend.
8.25pm Athletics (1,500 metres)
If there is such a thing as a “soft” draw in the three heats of the men’s 1,500m then Ciarán Ó Lionáird might consider himself lucky to have received it, avoiding most of the big medal favourites. But with only the first six going through (plus the six fastest qualifiers), he’ll still need to produce a strong tactical race. The Achilles tendon injury that curtailed his training since the spring means his season’s best of 3:50.12 ranks him slowest of the 14 men in the heat, but if he gets close to his lifetime best of 3:34.46 he could make the semi-finals.
8.45pm Boxing
Michael Conlan, the youngest member of the boxing team, takes on Ghana’s Duke Akeuth Micah in the last 16. The Belfast flyweight should have too much for the Duke.
9.25pm Athletics (10,000 metres)
There is no hiding the challenge facing Fionnuala Britton here as she lines up against two of the best women distance runners of all time in Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba and Vivian Cheruiyot from Kenya, who will almost certainly decide the gold medal between them. Britton’s lifetime best of 31:29.22, ranking her 17th fastest of the 22 starters, can be improved and possibly get her inside the top 12.
9.45pm Boxing
Adam Nolan will seek to raise the decibel levels at the ExCel Arena once more when he takes on Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy, ranked 14th in the world, in the welterweight division. Nolan’s lack of experience at the highest level could count against him but there is little to choose between the fighters.