Olympics:Ireland's "best prepared Olympic team ever" was unveiled at the National Concert Hall in Dublin this afternoon. A total of 65 athletes over 14 sports - although there could yet be more names added - were confirmed by President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, and Chef de Mission Sonia O'Sullivan.
Ahead of what is being sold as a ‘Home Games’, O’Sullivan said that she believed it was a “high quality team going to London.” Hickey added the team was the "best prepared", better placed than any before it "to leave Ireland in search of Olympic medals.”
Irish hopes are that the team will bring home more than the three medals won in boxing in Beijing (Ken Egan, silver, Darren Sutherland and Paddy Barnes bronze).
While the team represents the island of Ireland, over 20 per cent of the athletes are from north of the border. The final Irish team must be registered by July 10th. Three athletes Kieran Behan, Natalya Coyle and Lisa Kearney have qualified for Ireland for the first time in gymnastics, modern pentathlon and women’s judo respectively.
“There has been much better support for athletes at these Games than we have ever been able to do before,” said O’Sullivan. “It's been pretty tough for a lot of the athletes to qualify, and the athletes that have made it have done so quite easily.
"They haven't been running around chasing times which is a good thing. In that sense, it will be a stronger team. A lot of the athletes have been qualified for quite a while now so they've had time to make a plan and to prepare properly.”
O’Sullivan refused to put a number on the medal target.
“I can only ask that anyone who goes to the Olympics that they will try their very best,” she said. “I can only ask that the athletes reach and achieve the standards that got them to the Games. If they can do a bit more that’s fantastic, if they come home with medals that’s the icing on the cake.”
North Belfast's Barnes, light-flyweight bronze medallist in Beijing, is hopeful he can seal gold this time around.
“I’m happy with qualification. Anything more is a bonus,” he said. “But I’d like to go two stages further — but liking it and doing it are two different things but I just hope and pray that I can.”
The six-strong boxing team includes world champion Katie Taylor, in training today rather than attending the launch as she prepares to compete as the Olympics hosts the women’s sport for the first time. Other medal hopes include Darren O’Neill and John Joe Nevin.
Billy Walsh, head coach for Irish boxing’s high performance unit, said the target for his athletes was to take the Games one step at a time — the same approach as Beijing where his guidance helped return three medals.
“We’ve beaten fellas higher ranked than us and we’ve been beaten by fellas ranked lower than us so it’s about not taking our eye off the ball. Our focus is on one fight, one round, one minute that’s what we worry about. We have one Olympic Games and that’s it.”
The team also has only the second Irish athlete to compete at the summer and winter games. Claire Bergin, on the women’s 4x400m relay team took part in the bobsleigh competition in Vancouver 2010.
Elsewhere, sisters Catriona and Joanne Cuddihy compete on the track, the golden girl of Irish athletics Derval O’Rourke will race in the 100m hurdles and 23-year-old gymnast Kieran Behan, who overcame a life-threatening illness, will achieve his Olympic dream.
The road racing cycling positions have yet to be finalised after national time trial and road race champion Matt Brammeier appealed against a decision not to select him. Tour de France riders Dan Martin and Nicolas Roche are expected to make the grade.
IRELAND OLYMPIC TEAM
ATHLETICS
Jessie Barr - Women’s 4x400m Relay
Claire Bergin - Women’s 4x400m Relay
Brendan Boyce - Men’s 50K Road Walk
Linda Byrne - Women’s Marathon
Fionnuala Britton - Women’s 10,000m
Michelle Carey - Women’s 4x400m Relay
Alistair Cragg - Men’s 5,000m
Catriona Cuddihy - Women’s 4x400m Relay
Joanne Cuddihy - Women’s 400m
Colin Griffin Men’s - 50K Road Walk
Marian Heffernan - Women’s 4 x 400m Relay
Rob Heffernan - Men’s 20K and 50K Road Walk
Paul Hession - Men’s 200m
Ava Hutchinson - Women’s Marathon
Catriona Jennings - Women’s Marathon
Mark Kenneally - Men’s Marathon
Olive Loughnane - Women’s 20K Road Walk
Ciaran O’Lionaird - Men’s 1,500m
Derval O’Rourke - Women’s 100m Hurdles
Tori Pena - Women’s Pole Vault
Stephanie Reilly - Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase
Deirdre Ryan - Women’s High Jump
BADMINTON
Chloe Magee - Women’s Singles
Scott Evans - Men’s Singles
BOXING
Katie Taylor - Women’s 60kg
Paddy Barnes - Men’s 49kg
Michael Conlan - Men’s 52kg
John Joe Nevin - Men’s 56kg
Adam Nolan - Men’s 69kg
Darren O’Neill - Men’s 75kg
CANOEING
Hannah Craig - Women’s K1 Slalom
Andrzej Jezierski - Men’s C1 200m
Eoin Rheinisch - Men’s K1 Slalom
CYCLING
Martyn Irvine - Omnium
Tba - Road Race
Tba - Road Race
Tba - Road Race
EQUESTRIAN
Anna Merveldt - Dressage – Mixed Individual
Denis Lynch - Show Jumping*
Billy Twomey - Show Jumping*
Aoife Clarke - Three Day Eventing
Mark Kyle - Three Day Eventing
Joseph Murphy - Three Day Eventing
Michael Ryan - Three Day Eventing
Camilla Spiers - Three Day Eventing
Capt. Geoff Curran - Three Day Eventing – 1st Reserve
Sam Watson - Three Day Eventing – 2nd Reserve
GYMNASTICS
Kieran Behan - Men’s Artistic – Floor
JUDO
Lisa Kearney - Women’s 48kg
MODERN PENTATHLON
Natalya Coyle - Women’s
ROWING
Sanita Puspure - Women’s Single Sculls
SAILING
Annalise Murphy - Women’s Laser Radial
David Burrows - Men’s Star
James Espey - Men’s Laser
Scott Flanigan - 470
Matthew McGovern - 49er
Peter O’Leary - Men’s Star
Ger Owens - 470
Ryan Seaton - 49er
SHOOTING
Derek Burnett - Men’s Trap
SWIMMING
Sycerika McMahon - Women’s 100m Breaststroke
Barry Murphy - Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Grainne Murphy - Women’s 800m Freestyle
Melanie Nocher - Women’s 200m Backstroke
TRIATHLON
Aileen Morrison - Women’s
Gavin Noble - Men’s
(*subject to final clearance by the OCI)