Today's other stories in brief
Lynch ends on high note
SHOW JUMPING: Denis Lynch, who recorded Ireland's only clear round in the Samsung Super League Nations' Cup at La Baule on Friday, rounded off his visit to the five-star French show with victory on Lantinus in yesterday's Grand Prix.
Second to go in the nine-horse jump-off, Lynch went for a fast time and set the standard when clear in 43.33. Only the home nation's Olivier Robert and Le Galant also left the fences intact but stopped the clock in 45.36 to take second place. Britain's Nick Skelton and Arko lowered one pole to take third.
On Saturday, Captain Shane Carey and the Minister for Defence's Killossery recorded a hat trick of wins at the venue when beating France's Julien Epaillard and Icare du Manet by a third of a second. Yesterday, Carey finished second in the six-year-old championship on the bay gelding Ringwood Abbey.
At home, Harry Marshall moved to the top of the Citroen Showjumping Ireland premier series when winning the second round of the league at Barnadown on his son Kris's Mandrin Smoke. Keeping it in the family, the Ballyclare rider also finished third on his wife Dawn's Audi Morningstar, with Trevor Breen slotting into third on Always Cullohill.
Heffernan and Loughnane in record-breaking form
ATHLETICS: Robert Heffernan and Olive Loughnane proved their preparations for the Olympics are very much on course with a series of lifetime best performances at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Cheboksary, Russia at the weekend, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Heffernan continued to show that he is a world class performer when he sliced all of 53 seconds off his own year-old Irish record for the 20km event on Saturday and Loughnane came out yesterday to clip 72 seconds off her previous best for the distance.
The 32-year-old Loughnane was the higher finisher of the two, placing sixth in yesterday's hotly contested event won by the Russian, Olga Kaniskina with the Irish woman clocking 1:29.17, breaking the 90 minute barrier that had long been her target.
Loughnane had been greatly encouraged by Heffernan's performance the previous day as the 30-year-old Corkman clocked 1:19.22 when finishing 9th, smashing his record of 1:20.15.
Smyth sets world best Ireland secure 18 gold medals
ROWING:Ireland amassed a string of good results and a remarkable tally of 18 gold medals at the big KRSG regatta in Ghent over the weekend, writes Liam Gorman. Peter Hanily of St Michael's in Limerick won the junior single scull on Saturday - from a field of 93 - while Laura D'Urso of City of Derry matched him in the women's junior single yesterday, after taking silver on Saturday.
Orla Hayes of Skibbereen won gold in the under-23 (senior B) lightweight single scull yesterday, while in a women's junior eight event dominated by Irish crews, Tribesmen won gold on Saturday and Coláiste Iognáid took the top spot yesterday. Carlow won the junior 18 eight on Saturday and Galway Rowing Club, Coláiste Iognáid and Tribesmen also had wins, as had Helen Walshe of UCD in the senior single scull. Junior crews from Methodist College, Portora and Skibbereen also took gold yesterday, a composite of Offaly, St Michael's and Waterford won the junior 18 quadruple scull.
Craig just misses Beijing spot
CANOEING:Ireland missed out on a chance to qualify a women's kayak for the Olympic Games at the European Slalom Championships in Krakow in Poland at the weekend. There were two places available for nations not already qualified for Beijing, writes Liam Gorman.
Hannah Craig, who finished 30th overall, was only one place off landing a qualfication spot, while Helen Barnes was nine places further back.
In the men's K1 yesterday Neil Caffrey finished 23rd; Eoin Rheinsich 29th; and Ciarán Heurteau 36th. Rheinisch qualified an Ireland K1 for Beijing last year.
Safina fights back for German win
TENNIS:Dinara Safina of Russia fought back from a set down for the third time in the tournament to win the German Open yesterday with a 3-6 6-2 6-2 victory over seventh-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva.
The 22-year-old Safina came from behind to beat world number one Justine Henin and eight-times grand slam winner Serena Williams en route to the final, where she captured her sixth career singles title.
The 13th seed was far too erratic in the first set but came back strongly in the second with some lusty hitting and won it with an ace down the middle.
She then broke twice in the deciding set and sealed victory when Dementieva netted a backhand return on the first match point.
Smyth sets world best
PARALYMPICS:Jason Smyth underlined his Beijing credentials with a world record on day five of the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester. The 21-year-old from Derry scooped gold in the 100 metres, shaving a hundredth of a second off his own T13 lifetime best to cross the line in 10.85seconds.
"I will be at my peak in Beijing so I know I can go quicker," said Smyth. "It's good to come out in my first race of the season and run a good time."
