Ireland competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China. It was the 19th Summer Games that Ireland contested as a nation under the Olympic Council of Ireland.

Medalists Medal Name Sport Event Boxing Light heavyweight Boxing Middleweight Boxing Light flyweight

Athletics

16 Irish athletes qualified for 17 different Olympic events in 2008.Olympic Council of Ireland Irish Team profiles

Men Track & road events AthleteEventHeatQuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankPaul Hession200 m20.593 Q20.321 Q20.385Did not advanceDavid Gillick400 m45.834colspan=2 Did not advanceThomas Chamney800 m1:47.66 5colspan=2 Did not advanceAlistair Cragg1500 m3:44.908colspan=2 Did not advance5000 m13:38.57 6 qcolspan=4 Martin FaganMarathoncolspan=6 Robert Heffernan20 km walkcolspan=6 1:20:36 8Jamie Costin50 km walkcolspan=6 4:15:16 44Colin Griffincolspan=6

Women Track & road events AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankJoanne Cuddihy400 m53.326Did not advanceDerval O'Rourke100 m hurdles13.226Did not advanceMichelle Carey400 m hurdles57.997Did not advanceFionnuala Britton3000 m steeplechase9:43.5710colspan=2 Did not advanceRoisin McGettigan9:28.922 Qcolspan=2 9:55.8914Pauline CurleyMarathoncolspan=4 2:47:1663Olive Loughnane20 km walkcolspan=4 1:27:457

Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionEileen O'KeeffeHammer throw67.6623Did not advance

Badminton

AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / OppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreOppositionScoreRankScott EvansMen's singlesL 18–21, 21–18, 19–21Did not advanceChloe MageeWomen's singlesW 18–21, 21–18, 21–19 L 12–21, 13–21Did not advance

Boxing

Ireland qualified five boxers for the Olympic boxing tournament. Barnes became the first when he qualified at the World Championships.World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007 Nevin was the second, qualifying at the first European qualifying event. Joyce, Sutherland, and Egan brought the number to five at the 2nd European tournament.2nd AIBA European Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament

AthleteEventRound of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankPaddy BarnesLight flyweightW 14–8W 11–5L 0–15Did not advanceJohn Joe NevinBantamweightW 9–4L 2–9Did not advanceJohn Joe JoyceLight welterweightW 9–5L 11–11+Did not advanceDarren SutherlandMiddleweightW W 11–1L 3–10Did not advanceKenny EganLight heavyweightW 22–2W 10–2W 8–0W 10–3L 7–11

Canoeing

Ireland qualified one competitor in slalom canoeing. Eoin Rheinisch qualified an Irish boat in slalom kayak event after finishing seventeenth in the 2007 World Championships. Ireland did not have any competitors in the flatwater events.

Slalom AthleteEventPreliminarySemifinalFinalRun 1RankRun 2RankTotalRankTimeRankTimeRankTotalRankEoin RheinischMen's K-188.521887.8112176.3315 Q88.8510 Q88.064176.914

Cycling

Ireland qualified two places for the road race based on UCI rankings. Robin Seymour qualified for his third men's cross country race in the mountain biking. On 18 June 2008, the Olympic Council of Ireland announced that David O'Loughlin had secured a place for the men's individual pursuit in track cycling. Initially, the UCI released a list of qualifiers which did not include O'Loughlin.

Road AthleteEventTimeRankPhilip DeignanMen's road race6:39:4281Nicolas Roche6:34:2664

Track Pursuit AthleteEventQualificationSemifinalsFinalsTimeRankOpponentResultsRankOpponentResultsRankDavid O'LoughlinMen's individual pursuit4:26.10211Did not advance

Mountain biking AthleteEventTimeRankRobin SeymourMen's cross-countryDid not finish

Equestrian

Eventing Although Ireland did not qualify for the team event in the 2008 Olympics, as a result of having 5 individual riding spots qualify, they were automatically entered into the team event. AthleteHorseEventDressageCross-countryJumpingTotalQualifierFinalPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRankGeoffrey CurranKilkishenIndividual61.70 #5930.4092.10392.0094.1033Did not advance94.1032Niall GriffinLorgaine50.603546.4097.00 #4112.00109.00 #39Did not advance109.0038Louise LyonsWatership Down57.405528.4085.80359.0094.8034Did not advance94.8033Austin O'ConnorHobby Du Mee52.804234.4087.20360.0087.2027 Q0.0087.202187.2021Patricia Ryan Fernhill Clover Mist78.70 #6834.80113.50 #4713.00126.50 #44Did not advance126.5043Geoffrey CurranNiall GriffinLouise LyonsAustin O'ConnorPatricia Ryan See aboveTeam160.8010104.30265.10811.00276.108colspan=3 276.108 # – Indicates that points do not count in team total

Show jumping As a result of Jessica Kürten's world ranking, Ireland earned one individual place in show jumping at the 2008 games. As Kürten opted not to ride in the Olympics, the place was awarded to Denis Lynch.

Lynch and his mount Lantinus progressed to the finals stage. However, along with riders and horses from four other finalists, Lynch was suspended from taking part in the final, following a positive test for a banned substance.RTÉ - Horse Sport Ireland make Lynch statement - 22.08.2008

AthleteHorseEventQualificationFinalTotalRound 1Round 2Round 3Round ARound BPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotal RankPenaltiesTotal RankPenaltiesRankPenaltiesTotalRankPenaltiesRankDenis LynchLantinusIndividual1=14124 Q688 QWithdrewEquestrian Jumping Individual Results Summary - The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games

Fencing

Ireland qualified one berth in sabre fencing. Siobhan Byrne secured her place in the Olympics by winning silver at the qualifying tournament in Istanbul in April.

Women AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalSemifinalFinal / Opposition ScoreOpposition ScoreOpposition ScoreOpposition ScoreOpposition ScoreOpposition ScoreRankSiobhan ByrneIndividual sabreL 8–15Did not advance

Rowing

Ireland qualified with two boats for the rowing events. The men's coxless four qualified for the Olympics by finishing tenth at the 2007 World Championships. The men's lightweight coxless four team also granted their berth by finishing second at the last Olympic qualifying regatta in Poznań in June 2008 to complete the team line-up.

Men AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTime RankSean CaseyJonno Devlin Cormac FolanSean O'NeillFour6:02.85 3 SA/Bcolspan=2 5:58.146 FB6:07.97 10Richard ArchibaldPaul GriffinCathal MoynihanGearoid Towey*Lightweight four5:52.324 R6:21.811 SA/B6:13.854 FB6:06.0210 Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

* In the non-medal final, Gearoid Towey had to withdraw due to illness, and was replaced by substitute Richard Coakley. (A spate of illness circulated in the regatta field during the heats and finals, to the extent Germany's lightweight men's four had to withdraw entirely from the semifinal after three crew-members were affected.)

Sailing

Men AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Philip Lawton Gerald Owens470221171512521151324EL12916Stephen Milne Peter O'LearyStar61271012131381112EL9113

Women AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Ciara PeeloLaser Radial23171571324251810CANEL12723

Open AthleteEventRaceNet pointsFinal rank12345678910M*Tim GoodbodyFinn2213151517162115CANCANEL11221 M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race; CAN = Race cancelled

Shooting

Men AthleteEventQualificationFinalPointsRankPointsRankDerek BurnettTrap11029Did not advance

Swimming

Men AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankAndrew Bree100 m breaststroke1:01.76 NR30Did not advance200 m breaststroke2:10.91 NR12 Q2:10.16 NR11Did not advance200 m individual medleyDid not advance

Women AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankAisling Cooney100 m backstroke1:02.5031Did not advanceMelanie Nocher200 m freestyle2:04.2943Did not advance200 m backstroke2:12.29 NR20Did not advance Qualifiers for the latter rounds of all events are decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats. There was controversy during the selection of Irish Athletes, when an Irish man from Derry named Patthew Movey qualified, but the Irish Olympic committee forbid him from competing. Citing potential embarrassment

Triathlon

Emma Davis represented Ireland in the women's triathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, becoming Ireland's first ever Olympic triathlete. AthleteEventSwim (1.5 km)Trans 1Bike (40 km)Trans 2Run (10 km)Total TimeRankEmma DavisWomen's20:170:321:06:030:2839:092:06:29.3637

See also Ireland at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

References

Page includes results and scores from the official Beijing Olympic's website.