A new record in the 400m individual medley was established last week at the Aquatic Centre in Dublin by Ellen Walshe. The previous record, set by Michelle Smith de Bruin on her journey to winning Olympic gold in 1996, has held firm for many years – even predating Walshe’s birth by five years. Smith de Bruin’s impact continues to resonate within Irish swimming, observes Johnny Watterson, with two more of her records from 1996 still unbeaten.
Switching from Olympic achievements to predictions for the 2024 Galway hurling team, Joe Canning suggests they may need to infuse an ‘Olympic’ spirit to triumph in the Championship of the year. However, Canning displays little optimism, describing their performance in the Wexford defeat as appearing “lost” and “alarming”.
Ger Brennan, who experienced Dublin’s latest province-level defeat in 2010, is currently managing Louth, and he’s eager to see them overcome his home county in the Leinster final. Meanwhile, Wicklow’s championship aspirations are dashed, says Paul Keane, as he converses with their captain Patrick O’Keane before their Tailteann Cup campaign.
In the rugby scene, John O’Sullivan interviews Leinster’s Ryan Baird about bringing the URC title back to the team. Linley MacKenzie connects with Connacht’s Conor Oliver about his competitive match against his old club, Munster, in Saturday’s match.
In football news, Real Madrid clinches a spot in their sixth Champions League final in 12 years, as pondered by Sid Lowe. Gavin Cummiskey reports local news, including a 10-match suspension for Dundalk’s goalkeeper George Shelvey, along with an update on the continuous contention concerning the Dublin school kids’ league.
Finally, Sonia O’Sullivan turns attention to the Irish relay team’s recent victory and the challenging choices facing Rhasidat Adeleke. She must take into account personal goals and team duties as she prepares for the European Championships and Olympics.
Shane Stokes has suggested that this year might see Eddie Dunbar’s debut in the Tour de France, in his latest cycling update. Simultaneously in horse racing, Denis Hogan, a trainer, was left incensed by a steward’s judgement at Down Royal on Monday – a situation that, according to Brian O’Connor, underscores the age-old paradox of changes in the interpretation of interference regulations within racing.
In television coverage, TNT Sports 1 will showcase the first of three T20 clashes between Pakistan and Ireland in Clontarf, starting at 2.45. Following this, the Doha Diamond League can be viewed on both Virgin Media Two and BBC 2 from 5pm to 7pm. In addition, fanatics of the Premier Division can tune into RTÉ 2 at 7.45 to see the face-off between St Patrick’s Athletic and Shamrock Rovers.