Latest news with #ParisGames
The Age
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Touch judge makes huge call as Dragons thwart late Eels comeback
There was very little between Parramatta and St George Illawarra. In the end, there might have just been a millimetre in it. With the game in the balance, Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr was flying down the left flank, seemingly setting up a try that would level the scores. 'The Foxx' flirted with the sideline and the touch judge raised his flag in the belief he put a toe on the white paint. It was a huge call and one that may have determined one of the most helter-skelter games of the season. In the end, the Dragons just hung on to record a thrilling 34-20 win at WIN Stadium. Their ability to overcome adversity proved decisive. Nathan Lawson had four minutes to prepare for his breakout game. The Australian Olympian – he made the switch from rugby sevens after the Paris Games – wasn't expecting to participate. Wearing jersey No.22, Lawson completed the pre-game warm-up as an emergency reserve, just in case he was needed. He was. The luckless Christian Tuipulotu succumbed to yet another hamstring strain just moments before kick-off. Lawson didn't waste his opportunity. It took just two minutes for Lawson to score his first try, and before long he had bagged a double. The winger even managed to defuse the majority of bombs that came his way, despite the constant threat of Zac Lomax. This was the story of the Dragons' night. Whether it be the Tuipolutu drama, the injuries that ended Luciano Leilua's (quad) and Toby Couchman's (shoulder) nights, the head-injury assessments to Corey Allen, Emre Guler and Hamish Stewart, or a spirited Eels comeback, the Red V somehow hung on.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Touch judge makes huge call as Dragons thwart late Eels comeback
There was very little between Parramatta and St George Illawarra. In the end, there might have just been a millimetre in it. With the game in the balance, Eels winger Josh Addo-Carr was flying down the left flank, seemingly setting up a try that would level the scores. 'The Foxx' flirted with the sideline and the touch judge raised his flag in the belief he put a toe on the white paint. It was a huge call and one that may have determined one of the most helter-skelter games of the season. In the end, the Dragons just hung on to record a thrilling 34-20 win at WIN Stadium. Their ability to overcome adversity proved decisive. Nathan Lawson had four minutes to prepare for his breakout game. The Australian Olympian – he made the switch from rugby sevens after the Paris Games – wasn't expecting to participate. Wearing jersey No.22, Lawson completed the pre-game warm-up as an emergency reserve, just in case he was needed. He was. The luckless Christian Tuipulotu succumbed to yet another hamstring strain just moments before kick-off. Lawson didn't waste his opportunity. It took just two minutes for Lawson to score his first try, and before long he had bagged a double. The winger even managed to defuse the majority of bombs that came his way, despite the constant threat of Zac Lomax. This was the story of the Dragons' night. Whether it be the Tuipolutu drama, the injuries that ended Luciano Leilua's (quad) and Toby Couchman's (shoulder) nights, the head-injury assessments to Corey Allen, Emre Guler and Hamish Stewart, or a spirited Eels comeback, the Red V somehow hung on.
France 24
9 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce qualifies for 9th World Championships
Fraser-Pryce, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and 10-time world champion, clocked 10.91sec to finish third in the women's 100m final and secure a berth for the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Tina Clayton won her first national title in a personal best of 10.81 with reigning 200m world champion Shericka Jackson second in 10.88. Tia Clayton, twin sister of Tina, was fastest in the semi-finals but pulled up with an apparent injury in the final. Fraser-Pryce won her first world championships medal at Osaka in 2007 -- a silver in the 4x100m relay -- before going on to win 10 world titles, five of them in the 100m. In front of a large turnout that included treble world record holder Usain Bolt, she delivered when it mattered most. "It's been a long journey," Fraser-Pryce said after the final. "But it was not about making the team, it was about celebrating the journey and I am grateful for those who have been part of the journey. "It takes strength and resilience to have made it so far, but it was always a joy and privilege to represent Jamaica and I hope I will leave a legacy of inspiration to every girl who has a dream for achieving more." In the men's 100m final, Paris Olympics silver medallist Kishane Thompson delivered a blistering 9.75sec (wind .8m/sec), his personal best making him the sixth-fastest performer in history. Only Justin Gatlin (9.74), Asafa Powell (9.72), Yohan Blake (9.69) Tyson Gay (9.69) and world record-holder Bolt (9.58) have gone faster. The 23-year-old, who was beaten by just 0.005sec by Noah Lyles in the 100m final at the Paris Games, sliced two hundredths off his previous career best of 9.77 set in June of 2024. Oblique Seville shrugged off concern over a tight hamstring to finish second in 9.83 and Ackeem Blake was third in a personal best of 9.88.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Single scull a silver lining for crewless Fiona Murtagh
Back in November, Fiona Murtagh put behind her a challenging few months to return to the National Rowing Centre in Cork. More than three months had passed since the bitter disappointment of the Paris Olympics, and the Galway native was struggling to plot out her future. Murtagh and Aifric Keogh – part of the women's four in Tokyo alongside Eimear Lambe and Emily Hegarty that swept to an unlikely bronze – travelled to France as serious medal contenders in the women's pair. Podium finishers in every race that season, they could only manage a sixth-place semi-final finish. Having experienced such highs in Tokyo (Murtagh and Keogh became, and remain, the only Galway athletes to claim an Olympic medal), a combination of underperformance and the lack of a post-Games plan hit the 29-year-old hard. Keogh retired and of the coaches that were involved in the Paris Games, only Dominic Casey remains, with Rowing Ireland yet to fill the vacancy left by high-performance director Antonio Maurogiovanni's departure. "After Paris I took a break, I really wasn't sure what to do, I had nothing planned," Murtagh told RTÉ Sport. "In hindsight, it was not a good idea. I really fell off a cliff. People were retiring, coaches were leaving. There was a lot of uncertainty in the air. I was a sweep rower (two hands on one oar, as opposed to sculling where each rower uses two oars). I was trying to think, 'where do I fit in?' 'Where do I belong in this organisation now?'" Once the dust had finally settled on Paris, Murtagh began to plan ahead. Inevitably, she kept circling back to her sport. "I knew myself I had so much more to give, I just didn't know how that was going to be done." Enter Dominic Casey, Ireland's most successful rowing coach. It was his suggestion to try out the single-scull. Eased back into the boat, it was now a fresh challenge of working solo. That first day back in November, it was a case of old habits dying hard. After the warm-up, she waited in the areas reserved for the fours and quads, the pairs and doubles; lining up where the singles took off from didn't enter her mind. "After a few months off, you are on edge," she says. "Without thinking I just stood beside the pair, waiting for Aifric and Giuseppe (De Vita, high performance coach). It was that moment, 'they're not here'." Those early months were a steep learning curve. The pace was "crawling" and old techniques had to be discarded; how she approached the catch (the oar entering the water) and moving through the leg drive may not seem massively different to the untrained eye. For Murtagh it was night and day. In the past, Keogh had taken charge of steering in the pair, while as part of the four, Lambe looked after the calls. Now the responsibility landed squarely on her shoulders. "Even though you know how to do them, it's about owning it," she says. There were no goals set in those early days, just reassurance and guidance from Casey. The lack of pressure was a rare treat, the sole focus simply getting to grips with the solo adventure. At the turn of the year, the winter labour was beginning to bear fruit. At her first trial she was second to Mags Cremen. For the final European trials, she was first past the finish line. She went to the European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, earlier this month, full of nerves and possibilities. "I won my heat and it was instilling confidence in me throughout the regatta. I was more confident in my start, I always backed my middle. When I won the semi, I knew I was in with a chance." Seven months after beginning her sculling journey in Cork, Murtagh was back on the podium. "Throughout the last season, I never thought about winning at the European championships until I got there," she says. "If you told me after Paris if I'd be sitting here, with a European silver in the single, I'd be like 'you're lying to me'." She's not wedded to the idea of sculling in Los Angeles. It could pan out that way, but "you never know what Dominic has in mind". The mental and physical demands will stand to her regardless, Murtagh feeling the fittest she has ever been. This weekend she is in Switzerland, part of a strong Irish squad competing at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, the next chapter in her journey. "I'm still learning," she says. "People laugh at me when I say I'm a novice. In the single. It's a good thing. I'm motivated to learn that skill. "It's different. It's not me doing it for someone else, it's me doing it for me. There is a lot of self-growth and self-realisation to want to do that."
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Preview: Understrength Ireland eye Colorado upset against the USA
USA v Republic of Ireland, Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado, 7pm local time), 2am Irish time, (Live on the RTÉ Player) It's a summer jaunt to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains for the Repulic of Ireland, who take on the world No 1-ranked USA in the first of two friendlies tonight. Carla Ward's squad have been training 1.1 miles above sea level since Sunday. The heat is tough; but that altitude is a real killer. Ward admitted that just strolling to get a coffee took a toll on her, so we can assume she'll fully utilise her bench throughout tonight's clash at the 18,000-capacity Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Given the players she's missing, Ward options look pretty thin. Katie McCabe, Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne, Jamie Finn, Lily Agg, Jess Ziu and Leanne Kiernan didn't travel. On Wednesday, it was confirmed Denise O'Sullivan and Megan Campbell are both out after picking up knocks. Trying to further develop Ward's preferred expansive style against such a strong outfit, minus her best players, all while avoiding a morale-damaging hammering, is going to be tricky. There's a real air of familiarity around the 16th meeting of these sides. Ward worked with the USA under her good friend Emma Hayes during last year's Paris Games, and frequently turns to the ex-Chelsea manager for advice. Hayes has rested all of her European-based players for these friendlies with the exception of Naoimi Girma, who became the world's first million-dollar female footballer last January when she moved from San Diego Wave to Chelsea. Four Americans have been called up for the first time (Lilly Reale, Jordyn Bugg, Izzy Rodriguez and Sam Meza) with the squad averaging just over 18 caps. The average age of the panel is 24.5. That makes these clashes slightly less daunting, but make no mistake, the USA are laced with serious quality. And they're not all rookies either. World Cup winner and Olympic champion Rose Lavelle is included. The Gotham FC midfielder, who has 110 caps and 24 international goals under her belt, is back in the fold after recovering from ankle surgery. Seattle Reign's Lynn Biyendolo (80), Gotham defender Emily Sonnett (108), Sam Coffey (35) of the Portland Thorns and Girma (46) have a further 269 caps between them. They'll provide the spine, with the fresher faces hungry as hell to impress as they aim to force their way into Hayes' longer-term plans for the 2027 World Cup. The USA have beaten Ireland 15 times out of 15, most recently in April 2023 when they prevailed 1-0 in Missouri. The Girls in Green have conceded 51 times across those clashes and only scored once, so this was always going to be difficult, even with a full-strength team. Therefore Ward is prioritising performances over results. Chloe Mustaki has been in the last couple of squads but is still waiting to get some minutes under Ward. The Bristol City full-back will expect to get a shot here, as will Erin Healy, the San Diego-born Adelaide United attacker. She was in the fold for the Turkey and Slovenia games earlier this month but has yet to make her debut. Ward has promised she'll feature in some capacity. Ellen Molloy has been in fine form for Wexford, while Izzy Atkinson will hope to reward Ward's show of faith in her if she gets called upon. Atkinson is currently without a club after being released by Crystal Palace. It could be a special evening too for goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, in line to win her 50th Ireland cap. She might wear the armband in the absence of McCabe and O'Sullivan. Assistant coach Amber Whiteley has travelled and is still waiting to hear if she's got the Liverpool job on a permanent basis. Ward has further bolstered her backroom team by temporarily bringing in ex-Manchester United No 2 Charlotte Healy, who was named Bristol City boss on Tuesday. There's loads of links here that will make this a friendly in every sense of the word. O'Sullivan (NC Courage) and Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave) ply their trade in the NWSL; five of the squad were born in America (Brosnan, Chloe Mustaki, Marissa Sheva, Carusa and Healy); while 11 of them played college football in the States. There'll be plenty of high fives and warm embraces afterwards, but this is an important assignment for Ireland given it's Ward's last chance to really get a look at the wider squad before October's Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium. Ireland came away with two respectable defeats when Vera Pauw brought them here last time, but in truth they clung to the ropes and tried to frustrate their vaunted opponents for as long as possible. Ward needs more than that in Denver, and again on Sunday when they square up in Cincinnati. She's committed to implementing a possession-based style so there's no point in scrunching that blueprint up and tossing it aside just because the level of opposition is higher. Then again, considering the players she's missing, it might be wise to batten down the hatches, at least for the first hour. It could be a long 90 minutes for the visitors in the Mile High City if they ship an early goal. They'll need courage, resilience and the rub of the green to keep this competitive and head for Cincinnati in good spirits. Republic of Ireland squad Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic) Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached) Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Ellen Molloy (Wexford)
