Ian O’Riordan would be forgiven if he’d run out of superlatives to describe what he has witnessed in Rome in the opening three days of the European Athletics Championships. He was still getting his breath back after the 4x400m relay team’s golden run when Ciara Mageean only went and won the 1,500m on Sunday evening, the Portaferry runner producing “an absolute masterclass to hit the front only when it mattered most” in her final. Rhasidat Adeleke, Sharlene Mawdsley and Thomas Barr, meanwhile, showed no after effects from their own masterclass on Friday, Adeleke and Mawdsley both qualifying for Monday’s 400m final, while Barr is through to the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles, the fastest of all 12 qualifiers. Ian has also profiled all five gold medal winners (so far), detailing their journey to the summit of European athletics.
From the Stadio Olimpico to Semple Stadium, Limerick found themselves atop the Munster hurling podium for a record sixth time in a row after a performance of “overwhelming authority” against Clare, as Denis Walsh describes it. That milestone should be saluted, but “their brilliance will live long after the counting stops”. The champions now have a month to recharge their batteries before “their next assault on hurling history, the five-in-a-row”, writes Seán Moran, Nicky English hailing “a remarkable piece of history from a remarkable team”, even if the final was “an unremarkable contest”. Nicky liked the cut of Kilkenny’s jib too as they cruised to their fifth consecutive Leinster title, Gordon Manning in Croke Park to see them break Dublin’s spirit as early as the opening quarter. In Gaelic football, Dublin’s women got the defence of their title off to a winning start with an eight point victory over Mayo, while in the Tailteann Cup, the men of Laois were given a scare by New York, but survived to go in to the draw for the quarter-finals. And in camogie, Dublin are on the brink of a place in the last six after an impressive win over Wexford, champions Cork and Tipperary’s slots already booked.
Johnny Watterson rounds up the weekend’s URC action, Leinster and Munster progressing to the semi-finals, John O’Sullivan at the Aviva Stadium to see Leinster see off the challenge of Ulster. In golf, Philip Reid talks to Pádraig Harrington ahead of him being inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in North Carolina on Monday evening, while Denis reflects on “the most important shot of Harrington’s life” which came at the 2007 British Open.
In football, Ken Early looks at the ever increasing demands on players to the point where “burnout is increasingly visible”, and in racing, Brian O’Connor reports on “a considerable blow to the Curragh” - Aidan O’Brien has opted to run City Of Troy in next month’s Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, rather than in the Irish Derby a week earlier.
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
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TV Watch: Having played no small part in Ireland’s golden 4x400m relay triumph, Rhasidat Adeleke and Sharlene Mawdsley will be aiming for individual medals in this evening’s 400m final - it starts at 8.50pm, with RTÉ 2′s coverage kicking off at 8pm.
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