The 2008 Olympics Thread

Following on from the pre Olympic thread here, we can keep all actual games talk here

The final Irish team

Athletics:
Paul Hession (100/200m),
David Gillick (400m),
Thomas Chamney (800m)
Alistair Cragg (1500/5000m),
Martin Fagan (Marathon),
Jamie Costin (20K Walk),
Robert Heffernan (20K walk),
Colin Griffin (50K walk),

Joanne Cuddihy (400m),
Derval O'Rourke (100mH).
Pauline Curley (Marathon)
Michelle Carey (400mH)
Roisin McGettigan (3000m steeplechase),
Fionnuala Britton (3000 steeplechase),
Olive Loughnane (20K walk),
Eileen O'Keeffe (Hammer),

Badminton:
Scott Evans (singles),
Chloe Magee (singles)

Boxing:
Paddy Barnes (light-fly),
Kenny Egan (light-heavyweight),
John Joe Joyce (light-welterweight),
John Joe Nevin (bantam),
Darren Sutherland (middleweight)

Canoeing:
Eoin Rheinisch (mens slalom)

Cycling:
Nicholas Roche (Road Race),
Philip Deignan (Road Race),

David O'Loughlin (Individual Pursuit),

Robin Seymour (Mountain Bike).

Equestrian:
Denis Lynch (Show Jumping),

Austin O'Connor (Eventing, Team & Individual),
Geoff Curran (Eventing, Team & Individual),
Patricia Curran (Eventing, Team & Individual),
Louise Lyons (Eventing, Team & Individual),
Niall Griffin (Eventing, Team & Individual),

Fencing:
Siobhan Byrne (Sabre)

Rowing:
Sean O'Neill (coxless fours),
Jonno Devlin (coxless fours),
Sean Casey (coxless fours),
Cormac Folan (coxless fours),

Paul Griffin (lightweight fours),
Richard Archibald (lightweight fours),
Gearoid Towey (lightweight fours),
Cathal Moynihan (lightweight fours)

Sailing:
Ciara Peelo (Laser Radial),

Tim Goodbody (Finn),

Gerard Owens (470),
Philip Lawton (470),

Peter O'Leary (Star),
Stephen Milne (Star)

Shooting:
Derek Burnett (Trap)

Swimming:
Andrew Bree (100m, 200m breaststroke),
Melanie Nocher (200m backstroke),
Aisling Cooney (100m backstroke)

Triathlon:
Emma Davis

What would be a decent medal "haul" for us. Indeed do we really expect to win any? Horses, boats and fists perhaps but certainly nothing in the the track or field.

1 is decent. We usually get nothing. SInce 1956 we've won

1960 - none
1964 - one bronze
1968 - one bronze
1972 - none
1976 - none
1980 - one silver, one bronze (with no Americans etc)
1984 - one silver (with no eastern bloc countries)
1988 - none (with no Cubans in the boxing)
1992 - one gold, one silver
1996 - Michelle Smith's 3 gold and a bronze
2000 - one silver
2004 - none

None of our competitors would be favourites to medal. Those with shot include Heffernan in the walk (6th in world championship), O'Keeffe in hammer (6th in worlds), O'Loughlin in the pursuit (6th in worlds at first attempt), Lynch in Showjumping (ranked top 10), Lightweight 4s (a couple of top 3 finishes in wolrd cup), Burnett in shooting (has won world cup events, and medalled at world championships).

Egan, Sutherland and Nevin have fighters chances if the draw goes there way. Egan being my tip for a medal (provided he avoids Russian and Cuban in draw)

Apparently the Irish boxers arent too happy with the training arrangements, have to travel an inordinate distance each day to train so have had to make alternative arrangements

Here

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Originally Posted by centre mid

Apparently the Irish boxers arent too happy with the training arrangements, have to travel an inordinate distance each day to train so have had to make alternative arrangements

Here

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oh no, just checked and they are no Cork boxers so at least we wont have a walk out, phew :)

Heard on the radio that our own Don O'Riordan is coaching the Chinese womens Olympic team:D

Football starts tomorrow. I'm backing Argentina for it once again.

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Originally Posted by redtildead

Heard on the radio that our own Don O'Riordan is coaching the Chinese womens Olympic team:D

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Think they won their first game, beating Sweden

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Originally Posted by redtildead

Heard on the radio that our own Don O'Riordan is coaching the Chinese womens Olympic team:D

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He's on the coaching staff. He's not the main coach

For once there seem to be a few Irish competitors on the first day, ie starting early Saturday morning our time. Taken from the Tribune Olympics supplement.

Derek Burnett - Shooting Qualifiers
Mens heavyweight 4's- Rowing heats
Boxing - Ken Egan - Light Heavy & Darren Sutherland - middleweight
Cycling - road Race - Nicholas Roche, Philip Deignan

I think Derval O'Rourke was unable to train for 5 days in the last couple of weeks. Not great preparation. She'll struggle to get out of the heats.

Eileen O'keeffe also a dodgy enough knee injury. Shame as she has a decent chance of getting to the final and this may prevent her.

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Originally Posted by paudie

I think Derval O'Rourke was unable to train for 5 days in the last couple of weeks. Not great preparation. She'll struggle to get out of the heats

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She'll easily get out of the heats. How she does after that is down to form and fitness though

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Originally Posted by paudie

For once there seem to be a few Irish competitors on the first day, ie starting early Saturday morning our time. Taken from the Tribune Olympics supplement.

Derek Burnett - Shooting Qualifiers
Mens heavyweight 4's- Rowing heats
Boxing - Ken Egan - Light Heavy & Darren Sutherland - middleweight
Cycling - road Race - Nicholas Roche, Philip Deignan

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Scott Evans and Chloe Magee are also playing on opening day. Scott is playing at 3.45am Irish time and Chloe is playing around lunchtime.

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Originally Posted by DmanDmythDledge

Scott Evans and Chloe Magee are also playing on opening day. Scott is playing at 3.45am Irish time and Chloe is playing around lunchtime.

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Think it's 11.45am Irish time.

Some News from the draws;

Fencing
Siobhan Byrne (ranked 35th) faces a Polish fencer (ranked 30th) in the first round. 39 competitors in her event. Apparently her and her coach are delighted with the draw. Getting past first round would be a good result

Rowing
Tough draws for both Irish crews. The Lightweight 4s are in a heat with France (2nd in worlds 2007), Germany (won continental qualifier (ahead of Ireland recently) and Poland (8th 2007 worlds).
Ireland won bronze in 2006 worlds behind China and France. Britain won 2007 gold, Italy Bronze. In Munich World Cup, Ireland finished 5th behind China, GB, Germany, France. IN Lucerne, Ireland finished 6th behind China, Denmark, France, Germany and Britain.


The "Heavy" 4s are up against Germany (3rd in worlds 2007), France (2nd in worlds 2007), Australia (Continental qualifier).
Ireland had its best result in 20 odd years at heavyweight with a tenth place in the 2007 worlds. It has stayed around that mark this year. A final place looks unlikely

Top 3 go into semis, 4th place goes into reperchage. 13 boats in total, 6 make the final.

Badminton
Scott Evans faces Marc Zwiebler of Germany in first round (last 64) at 3.45am (Irish time) on saturday
Chloe Magee faces Kati Tolmoff of Estonia in first round (last 64) at 10.50am (Irish time) on saturday
Both Irish players are ranked below their opponents

Beijing is what - seven hours ahead? So we're looking at starting around 2am and going on till 2pm our time?

What happened our equestrian team this time out? Politics as usual?

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Beijing is what - seven hours ahead? So we're looking at starting around 2am and going on till 2pm our time?

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From 3am most days

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What happened our equestrian team this time out? Politics as usual?

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If you're talking about showjumping; we didn't qualify. Ballsed up at the world and euros (Riders retiring hurt us). Denis Lynch is in the individual

We have a full team in the 3 day eventing

Didn't qualify? Wow. Can never understand how we can do so badly in Olympic showjumping and yet appear to do so well elsewhere, especially with our horsey (admittedly more horse-racing) pedigree.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Didn't qualify? Wow. Can never understand how we can do so badly in Olympic showjumping and yet appear to do so well elsewhere

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We've won 2 world championship medals ever. People overestimate how good we are because by and large all we get to see on TV are the RDS show, and the odd British show.

I wonder are rte.ie showing much of the Irish participation in the olympics. If they are, then its proxy server time. Burnett in the shooting did well last time out in Athens hopefully he'll go one better.