Ireland’s Eileen O’Keeffe has won a silver medal in the final of the women’s hammer throw at the World University Games in Bangkok on Friday evening, with a throw of 68.46 metres.
Darya Pchelnik of Belarus took gold with a throw that just shaded the Kilkenny woman’s mark; 68.74 metres. Ledvinova of the Czech Republic won bronze with 65.66 metres.
After the medal ceremony a beaming O’Keeffe, who is studying theatre nursing at the Royal College of Surgeons said: ‘I’m delighted; it’s brilliant, obviously it was very close but it’s just a great to win a medal at this level.
‘I was ranked number one going into the final so that brings confidence but it also brings pressure so I’m pleased with how I handled the pressure out there.
‘It’s a huge boost heading into the world championships in Osaka in just two weeks time.’
On the track in the women’s 100m Ireland had two representatives in action today.
Anna Boyle and Ailis McSweeney both recorded 12.13sec in this morning’s first round to advance this evening’s second round.
Boyle - from Dunloy - raced in the first heat crossing the line in sixth in a time of 12.03 sec which was not good enough to advance to the semi-finals.
McSweeney, a silver medallist in this event at these Games two years ago raced in the third heat taking fourth place and with it qualify for the semi-finals tomorrow morning.
The Cork woman will be delighted with her time; 11.92seconds; her best this season.
At the impressive National Tennis Development Centre on the outskirts of the city of Bangkok, Ireland’s Colin O’Brien and Anne Marie Hogan were in action in the second round of the singles.
Hogan, a PHD student in UCD faced the Polish National Champion; Jans Klaudia and the pair fought out an entertaining encounter but Klaudia proved the stronger and came out on top 6-2 6-2.
At the same time on the adjoining court Malahide’s Colin O’Brien faced Hermann Kuschke of Namibia in the second round of the men’s singles.
O’Brien who has just graduated from Willam & Mary University in Virginia and intends going pro in the coming year started tentatively; Kuschke breaking his serve in the opening game to take the lead. Kuschke pushed on to lead 2-1 but it was at that point that O’Brien settled and won every other game in the set to take it 6-2.
O’Brien continued in that vein breaking down the hard hitting fiery Namibian with some sublime skill taking the second set 6-0, and with it the match.
He will face the number five seed; Jan Stancik of Slovakia in the third round on Sunday.
Ireland’s sole Taekwondo representative; DCU’s Mark Casserly fought Issac Estevan of Spain this morning in his opening bout but lost out 2-3. Each fight consists of three two minute rounds with a judge in each of the four corners registering the hits.
Estevan led 1-0 after the first and 2-1 after the second. In the third and final round Casserly went for it and registered a hit to bring the score to 2-3 but time ran out on the Tallaght man, and he exited the competition.
In the pool the Irish contingent again found the going tough. Kevin Stacey of NUI Maynooth was first into the water in the heats of the 800m freestyle where he finished 27th overall in a time of 8:31.68.
Clare Dawson was 32nd in the heats of the 100m freestyle in 58.66, and Melanie Nocher was 27th in the 200m Individual medley recording a time of 2:24.01.
Barry Murphy, Kevin Stacey, Florry O’Connell and Jonathon Nixon placed 22nd overall in the 4x100m relay but the race will have helped Murphy in his preparations for the 100m freestyle tomorrow and the 50m freestyle on Tuesday next.
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams are in action again tomorrow in their final pool games each needing wins to advance to the quarter-final stage.
The women, under manager Noel King play home side Thailand in the morning and the men take on Canada in the afternoon. Ireland’s fencing hopeful; Siobhan Byrne studying at Ohio State University also competes tomorrow in her weapon category; Sabre.
