Sports Digest/ATHLETICS: Sprint coach Jim Kilty has appealed to the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) to take one last look at their qualification procedures for Athens and consider a special dispensation for 200-metre runner Paul Hession, writes Ian O'Riordan.
The OCI closed their door on qualification on Tuesday, one day after Hession came within two-hundredths of a second of running the A-standard for Athens at the Thessaloniki Grand Prix in Greece.
Kilty has coached the 21-year-old Hession for the past three years and reckons the 20.61 seconds he ran on Monday night is only a pointer to further improvement this season. Under formal Olympic guidelines athletes still have until August 9th to secure qualifying times.
"I think the Olympic Council would show an awful lot of foresight if they pick Paul Hession subject to him getting the standard by the ninth of August," said Kilty. "That doesn't involve extending the deadline. And I believe he will run 20.48 this year. I think he's one of the most talented we'll ever have.
"And it is an exceptional case. First of all because he's so, so close. Secondly because he's so young. And thirdly because he has such a great record of performing on the big occasion.
"Our plan is to make the final in Beijing in four years' time. And the experience of Athens would mean so much towards fulfilling that goal."
Hession himself has admitted he's had problems sleeping since his run in Greece, where his victory improved his best from 20.80 to the 20.61. The mixture of elation and deflation continues to play on his mind.
"I was happy to run a decent race at last," he said, "because I've been going so well in training, but things just weren't working out on race day. But I felt I nailed that one quite well.
"But it was agonising when I saw the time, hard to describe really. I could see immediately where I could have improved on the two-hundredths. It's such a small difference, minute. But I think I've realised since that it was leap in the right direction. And has set me up well for the future."
Still, the Athenry man hasn't lost all hope of making it to Athens. He runs the 200m at the national championships this weekend, and will chase the 20.59 target, which would still have ramifications for next year's funding.
"Of course it would mean the world to make Athens. The culmination of all my dreams. And it's the only thing I've thought about over the last year or two. Even before that. It's the pinnacle of our sport.
"But I do think I can get it. There was that slight headwind in Greece, so if I get the same warm conditions and maybe a little tailwind there is no reason why I can't go quicker. So I'll get plugging away. If I get the time then it's out of my hands. But at least I'll know I was good enough to be there."
TENNIS: The big surprise at the Templeogue Tennis Club last evening where the Womens Leinster Open Championships is running in conjunction with the Men's Irish Open was the early dismissal of Irish FED Cup player Elsa O'Riain in straight sets, writes Pat Roche. Cork girl O'Riain seeded three is the latest edition to the National FED Cup side but she came a cropper to British entry and number seven seed Lucy Fletcher 6-4 6-3.
Tom Burn the men's number two seed wrapped up his match against Brian Coleman for no loss.
MEN'S SINGLES: Second Round - T Burn bt B Coleman 6-0 6-0; J McGee bt G Svlek 6-4 6-2; N Malone bt J Desena 6-4 3-6 6-1; D O'Connell bt B Fagan 6-1 6-3. Womens Leinster Open Second Round - Y Doyle bt G Misiouriova 6-2 6-2; L Fletcher bt E O'Riain 6-4 6-3; K Nugent bt L Eakhoury 6-2 7-5.
ROWING: Martin Corcoran is to be the new chief executive of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union. The ex-UCD oarsman has a background in marketing, sponsorship and promotion. He will take up his position on August 17th.
TENNIS: It will be difficult for former champion Yvonne Doyle and Karen Nugent to prevent the Ellesse Women's Irish Open title going on export when competition proper begins at the Castleknock club on Monday, writes Pat Roche.
Both Irish players have direct entry into the main draw with four other home players - Elsa O Riain, Anne Marie Hogan, Rachel Dillon and Joanie Macken - being awarded wild cards.
The players to beat are Eden Marama, the reigning champion from New Zealand, and former champion Helena Norfeldt of Sweden.
