Sports Digest

A round-up of sports news.

Goodbody gets in

SAILING: Ireland's Tim Goodbody ended the ISAF World Championships in Cascais yesterday in triumph when he succeeded in qualifying for the Finn single-handed class for next year's Olympic Games.

The Royal Irish YC sailor finished 12th in yesterday's final race and ended 19th overall by nation, taking the last of this year's qualifying places for the class and, in the process, ousting Norway's Peer Moberg, the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist.

Ireland's other contender, Aaron O'Grady, has retired, leaving Goodbody the sole ISAOG nominee for the class to the Olympic Council of Ireland.

Girls in medal hunt, boys give Dutch scare

HOCKEY: Despite losing 2-0 to the Netherlands in their final pool game at the European Youth Championships in Edinburgh yesterday, the Irish girls' under-18 team is in medal contention at the tournament, having qualified for the last four by finishing second in the pool, writes Mary Hannigan.

The team play Germany tomorrow, the winners going through to the final, the losers going in to the bronze medal play-off.

Ireland held the Netherlands scoreless for 48 minutes yesterday, having a goal disallowed and coming agonisingly close to scoring through Anna O'Flanagan two minutes after the break.

But the top seeds broke the deadlock with a penalty corner, making it 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Irish boys, who can finish no higher than fifth place, were also defeated by the Dutch but put up a great show in their 5-3 defeat.

Having twice led in the game, 2-1 and 3-2, their goals coming from Neil Hamilton (two) and Jonathan Kane, Ireland conceded three in nine minutes midway through the second half.

They play Russia tomorrow in the fifth-eighth-place cross-overs. Today is a rest day.