Latest news with #MichaelBlake
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Monster ambitions for Irish showjumpers as they build towards LA 2028
Michael Blake says he has created a monster - and he loves his headache-inducing creation that includes his sport's new Ronaldo. The Horse Sport Ireland high performance director set out to shake up the status quo by building a big base of young talent when he took on the role. So while veteran Cian O'Connor is aiming for an Irish record of six summer Olympic Games appearances at LA '28, there is a brimful of talent bubbling up behind. That depth that extends to around 30 riders has led to an astonishing record of consistency across the world in terms of big victories by Ireland on the equestrian circuit, with the massive five-star defence of their Aachen Nations Cup starting tomorrow. Earlier this month, Ireland backed up a four-star victory in Langley, Canada, with a five-star triumph in La Baule - their second five-star success of the year, more than any nation. Those successes come down to Blake being able to constantly rotate his selections. "I've created a monster," he laughed. "People say, 'oh well, you didn't win the last Europeans'. But we were second with kids. I chose not to bring the A team - for want of a better word - because I wanted to see what the emerging talent could do. 'The big win in La Baule, I had two kids in it on two young horses. It's not winning that makes me most proud - that makes me most proud. It's like having under-16 or under-18 players playing with the big boys and they played well. 'Our two five-star victories, we didn't need to jump the last horse. And we have days that don't go well, but sport is 90% desperation and 10% elation - and my job is to change the odds.' One of those rare days that didn't go well was the Paris Olympics, where a star-studded Ireland team only finished in seventh place at the Palace of Versailles. That was a big disappointment after an unprecedented season of success that had produced 11 Nations Cup podium results. 'Absolutely," agreed Blake. "We were talked up a lot more than we talked ourselves up. "We knew we were there or thereabouts, we knew things that needed to go our way - they did right until the last horse was going in. We were in line for silver medal, which was going to be fantastic. "And it just didn't go our way. The trouble about our thing is we're playing with live animals and we're playing with business and we're playing with a lot of factors. "And obviously, we're bitterly disappointed that we let our nation down. We wanted to do our best and we've bounced back before and after. We've bounced back now. We're the only country in the world that have two five-star wins up this year and so we can't be too bad." Letting the nation down is a strong commentary from the Horse Sport Ireland supremo. "There was great expectation and we had great expectations," he explained. "We didn't talk it up because on paper it would look hard to get that team beat. "And, on paper, if you looked at the countries that won the medals, they hadn't had any luck before or since. They're in difficult situations, those countries right now, and we're still going strong. It just didn't work. Right now, it looks like we have a better pool of horses coming along because we have set out to do it. "In the win in La Baule there was a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old rider on two young horses that haven't yet peaked, but are still able to kick the ball at the highest level. 'You add a couple of years to those riders' preparation, those horses' preparation, it can only be better. And at the moment, they're almost fit to go anywhere. "That will give encouragement to other riders to say someone like Seamus Hughes Kennedy - he has come out of nowhere and now he's the new Ronaldo in this world."
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Elusive Olympic success driving Ireland's consistent world beaters
Even now, hurling percolates Michael Blake's world. Brought up in Tuamgraney in East Clare, it's close to fifty decades since the high performance director of Ireland's hugely successful show jumping team put away the hurley and concentrated on the saddle. He remembers well his time at St Flannan's when the Ennis college ended 18 years without a Harty Cup in 1976, and the golden period that followed as they lost two finals and came through again in 1979. Clare's resurrection in the 1990s elicits relief and some regrets. 1996 and the loss to Limerick. The Offaly protest in '98. Ach! This background bubbles to the surface time and again, even when the conversation revolves exclusively around a day job that has seen Ireland enjoy an extraordinary run of success at some of show jumping's most illustrious of events around the world. In recent weeks alone, Irish teams have won two Nations Cups on different continents within five days having already won a prestigious Longines League of Nations Cup event on a third, in Abu Dhabi, only last February. All with completely different riders. This week sees the team in Aachen to defend another prestigious title. Ireland's recent podium finish rate has ballooned to almost 80%. They had eleven Nations Cup podiums last year alone. Other countries would sit in and around the 40% mark. The one fly in this ointment is the inability to get over the line in the biggest of the big ones. They lost the World Championships by six-hundredths of a second. What Blake refers to as an 'eyelash'. A team of Shane Sweetnam, Daniel Coyle and Cian O'Connor couldn't build on a perfect platform on the final day at last year's Olympics in Paris when coming in seventh. Here comes one of those hurling analogies. 'We need to put it in the net all the time,' said Blake. 'I know that's hard to do, but we should put it in the net nine times out of 10 because now we have that kind of ability. We almost have that kind of structure and depth. The constant winning should be soon normal.' He knows better than anyone the tiny margins involved. Working with animals brings with it an added and obvious layer of the unexpected. A horse can step on a stone, or be sold by an owner, and everything can change. Ireland named their squad two weeks earlier than others for the Games, in case of any objections lodged over team selections. How problematic is that? Well, says Blake, Limerick wouldn't name their team seven weeks before an All-Ireland, would they? 'We're bitterly disappointed that we let our nation down. We wanted to do our best and we've bounced back before and after. We've bounced back now. We're the only country in the world that have two five-star wins up this year and so we can't be too bad.' This ability to win often and with multiple riders isn't a fluke. Blake reckons Ireland can call on a pool of riders that may be as large as 30 while powerhouses such as Sweden and Switzerland are struggling having stuck with the same, small gene pool. 'I've created a monster,' he laughed when asked about the selection headaches involved. It's a base he started to build at underage levels back in 2012. Young riders were backed and encouraged to pack their knapsacks and go off and build resilience and careers. They went from being big fish in a small pond here to minnows abroad. A young rider's academy was set up at home in support. They were educated on everything from conduct, to how to get an owner, media training, veterinary, accounting and how to get a lorry licence. All skills essential to this most unique of sporting careers. 'Being able to ride the horse is very important, but it's 50% at most.' The Nations Cup title claimed in La Baule earlier this month was won with two young riders, Seamus Hughes Kennedy and Tom Wachman, riding two young horses. All performed admirably. Blake likens it to minor players mixing it with the big boys. Hughes Kennedy is a 23-year old who, he said, has come from nowhere to be 'the new Ronaldo in this world'. The really exciting part in all this is how much better again this new generation will be when the time comes to tackle the next Games in LA in 2028. There is plenty to be done, and won, before then. Blake speaks of his love for Aachen and Rome and La Baule and a Dublin event that he describes as the Mecca. But that elusive Olympic medal exercises his mind constantly. 'There's only them [Olympic] circles,' he admitted. 'That's what I'm after.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former vice chair of the DNC: Meet NYC mayoral candidate Michael Blake
The Brief Former Assemblymember Michael Blake is running for New York City mayor. Blake represented the Bronx's 79th District for three terms before resigning to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. He has been cross-endorsed by fellow candidate Zohran Mamdani. NEW YORK CITY - Former Assemblymember and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee Michael Blake is running for New York City mayor – here's everything you should know about him. MORE: Meet the candidates running for NYC mayor: List The backstory Michael Blake, the son of two Jamaican immigrants, was raised in the Bronx. He went on to study at Northwestern University, where he graduated with a degree in journalism. Blake joined former President Barack Obama's campaign as the Iowa Deputy Political Director and Constituency Outreach Director in 2007; following the election, he concluded as the Michigan Deputy State Director and Political Director for the general election by the end of Obama's first campaign. He went on to serve as the National Deputy Director of Operation Vote for the Obama-Biden 2012 reelection campaign – he was also the campaign manager for Reshma Saujani's campaign for New York City Public Advocate in 2013. In 2014, former Assembly Member Eric Stevenson was found guilty of taking more than $20,000 in bribes, and was forced out of his seat as a result. Blake ran to replace him, winning the general election with 92 percent of the vote. Blake ran for New York City Public Advocate in 2019, but lost to current Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. MORE: 2025 NYC primaries coverage He represented the Bronx's 79th District until 2020 – rather than seeking reelection, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. Blake ran to represent New York's 15th congressional district, but ultimately lost the primary election to Rep. Ritchie Torres. Blake was also the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2017 to 2021. What we know Blake put his hat in the ring for NYC's mayor on November 24, 2024. An Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey released on May 28 revealed that 1.5 percent of voters support Blake. He and fellow candidate Zohran Mamdani cross-endorsed each other on June 16. Regarding affordability, Blake has established that he will declare a Cost of Living Emergency within 100 days if elected as mayor – this will unlock city reserves to "provide urgent relief to families struggling with rent, groceries, childcare and transportation." This administration, if elected, would also launch a Guaranteed Income pilot program for those living below the poverty line, as well as implement universal child care. MORE: Notable endorsements for NYC mayoral candidates Blake would establish a permanent Immigrant Services Director to "ensure legal support, language access and business resources for immigrant New Yorkers." He also has a plan specifically for Black New Yorkers: "As your mayor, I will pursue a bold Black Agenda rooted in equity, justice and economic empowerment, with policies that address long-standing disparities and build toward a city where every New Yorker can thrive." The Source This article includes information from Michael Blake's mayoral campaign website, results from several elections and an Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Longshot NYC mayoral candidate Michael Blake gets $2 million in matching funds on eve of primary
NEW YORK — Mayoral candidate Michael Blake has secured $2 million in public matching funds approved by the city's Campaign Finance Board — a significant but belated cash infusion for the longshot campaign. With just five days left in the primary race, the new cash influx likely comes too late for Blake, a former Bronx assemblyman, to mount a competitive campaign or significantly raise his profile. But Blake said the new funds mean his 'name will resonate across the city over the final five days' and mentioned get out the vote efforts and field operations targeting undecided voters. He declined to give specifics. 'We have days to close the deal,' Blake told the Daily News. 'Now we can make it clear to voters — you still have a choice. Especially to Black and brown voters, Michael Blake is a choice for you.' The decision comes after the Democrat sued the CFB for its refusal to allow him to participate in the second and final mayoral debate last week. The board in late May ruled that Blake would not be participating in the debate because he hadn't met the fundraising threshold to qualify for it, and a Manhattan Supreme Court justice backed up their decision. Blake's campaign argued in their suit that he had, in fact, met that threshold, and that the CFB's system errors mistakenly made it seem that he hadn't. The candidate garnered some attention with a lively performance at the first debate at the start of June, and climbed onto some endorsement slates after State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate all but removed herself from consideration when she endorsed Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also cross-endorsed Zohran Mamdani earlier this week as part of a broader attempt to block Cuomo from the mayoralty. Blake received 2% of the vote in a recent Marist poll.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Longshot NYC mayoral candidate Michael Blake gets $2m in matching funds on eve of primary
Mayoral candidate Michael Blake has secured $2 million in public matching funds approved by the city's Campaign Finance Board — a significant but belated cash infusion for the longshot campaign. With just five days left in the primary race, the new cash influx infusion likely comes too late for Blake, a former Bronx assemblyman, to mount a competitive campaign or significantly raise his profile. The decision comes after the Democrat sued the CFB for its refusal to allow him to participate in the second and final mayoral debate last week. The board in late May ruled that Blake would not be participating in the debate because he hadn't met the fundraising threshold to qualify for it, and a Manhattan Supreme Court justice backed up their decision. Blake's campaign argued in their suit that he had, in fact, met that threshold, and that the CFB's system errors mistakenly made it seem that he hadn't. The candidate garnered some attention with a lively performance at the first debate at the start of June, and climbed onto some endorsement slates after State Sen. Jessica Ramos, another mayoral candidate all but removed herself from consideration when she endorsed Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He also cross-endorsed Zohran Mamdani earlier this week as part of a braoder attempt to block Cuomo from the mayoralty. Blake received 2% of the vote in a recent Marist poll. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
