ROWING
Limerick’s sole Olympian Seán O’Neill of Pallaskenry is part of the Irish men’s heavyweight four that will compete in the semi-finals in the Olympic Regatta at Shunqyi Olympic-Canoeing Park this morning (9.50am, Wednesday).

“In the last 500 the Germans came up, as did the French, but it was well done Ireland.  If I was a betting man I wouldn’t have been putting an awful lot of money on Saturday when you knew who was in it.  But they got through and it was wonderful,” said Limerick native and Ireland’s Chef de Mission Dermot Henihan, manager of 11 world championship teams and who had inputs into the Atlanta and Sydney campaigns.

TENNIS
Conor Niland’s spectacular breakthrough win on the ATP Challenge Tour has moved the Patrickswell-native into the top 250 World Rankings.

Niland broke new ground with a straight-forward 6-4 6-4 victory over Tomas Cakl of the Czech Republic in the final of the $50,000 tournament in New Delhi.  One break in each set proved sufficient for the 27-year-old Davis Cup star to pick up the valuable 55 ATP world ranking points on offer.

Niland dumped out top seed Danai Udomchoke (Thailand) in the quarter-finals and dispatched Australia’s Brydan Klein 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 in a grueling semi-final.  The semi-final and final were both played on the way evening, but Niland’s exceptional fitness stood him in great stead.

Prior to the weekend, Niland had only once made the semi-finals of a Challenger – in last year’s Irish Open.

ATHLETICS
A commemorative headstone in memory of 1900 World Three Miles Athletic Champion Michael O’Neill will be unveiled at Beagh Cemetery, Ballysteen on Monday evening next – the brief ceremony will follow the annual mass celebrated by Fr. George Ranahan.