Brilliant Ben Healy secures Ireland's first Tour de France stage victory in five years
Healy becomes the first Irishman to win a stage on the Tour since Sam Bennett in 2020 and joins an illustrious list that also includes Dan Martin, Martin Earley, Stephen Roche, Sean Kelly and Shay Elliott.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
‘I'll finish it off at some point': Golf's nearly-man Tommy Fleetwood eyeing greatness at East Lake
The widespread euphoria that surrounded Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph served as the finest example of a moment when golf observers want a player to win. This, after all, is supposed to be a non-tribal environment aside from the weekend every two years when Europe face USA and people on either side of the ropes take leave of their senses. Golf's next pursuit of the holy grail belongs to Tommy Fleetwood . Defeat from positions of strength at the Travelers and St Jude championships threw up an unwanted statistic. In 163 PGA Tour starts, Fleetwood is yet to emerge victorious. As striking as that raw number – Fleetwood's talent is such that one assumes he should have claimed a batch of trophies in the US – is the fact people are willing him to end his drought. Fleetwood is relatable, likeable, popular. He also has no objection to the discussion presently whirling around him. 'I'm not going to feed you lies and say, 'Oh, in Memphis I thought I did everything great, or Travelers I didn't do anything wrong',' he said. 'Of course I got things wrong down the stretch and it didn't happen for me. 'You learn from those experiences. I would rather you be questioning me about not finishing tournaments off than not questioning me at all about anything. So I've obviously shown a lot of really good stuff and put myself in great positions. READ MORE 'I just want to put myself there again. I want to give myself another chance. I'll finish it off at some point. I'll get it right and I'll get it right more than once. But being there is actually the hard part, in a way. 'I don't feel like I have to rattle off all the good stuff. I just need to be aware of it, know that I'm doing the right things and know that there's still things that I can get better. I use the disappointments as motivation and I use the good stuff as confidence boosting.' At East Lake this week, another PGA Tour season will conclude. Scottie Scheffler will look to press his dominance of the game by lifting the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup. Just as fate eventually smiled on McIlroy a two-hour drive away in April, could it finally be Tommy's time? His reliability and close-shave history is emphasised by six runner-up finishes on the PGA Tour, the same number of thirds and 44 top 10s. He is the 10th-ranked player in the world. 'Best-case scenario coming down the stretch at East Lake with a chance to win,' Fleetwood said. 'Whether I get it right or not, whether it happens or not, whether someone plays better or not, I'll talk about that at the time. But I would love to get there and give myself that chance again.' I've thrown the odd club in the water when I'm out there and maybe feel a bit better for a while — Tommy Fleetwood In short, the 34-year-old has not been burned by falling short. 'It's funny really, you walk off the course on Sunday last week and I was happier with a fourth-place finish than I was with a third in Memphis,' Fleetwood said. 'It's a strange game that way. I am very happy with the consistency of my golf and the level I've been playing at. Golf is a crazy game. You never know what you're going to turn up with week in and week out, but this year has been a very good year.' Fleetwood knows how to get over the line. He has done it eight times elsewhere in the world. Fleetwood has also been successful when involved in tight scraps. The nature of recent events, as opposed to core results, is what has brought his situation into sharp focus. He missed out on a playoff in Memphis by a shot, having led by two with three holes to play. At the Travelers, Keegan Bradley usurped Fleetwood after the Englishman three-putted the 72nd hole. Fleetwood was clearly dejected during post-tournament media duties at, both but there was no raw moment, no smashed club, no fist through a window. Yes, the smile had vanished but not for long. 'I get disappointed and I get angry,' Fleetwood said. 'I've thrown the odd club in the water when I'm out there and maybe feel a bit better for a while. But I'm not that great at being angry. It just doesn't suit me. I just kind of let it go. I work really hard on letting things go, moving on. Not that much great comes from those moments of anger. 'But like I say, like anybody, I get disappointed, I get frustrated, I get angry. I doubt myself. Of course I do. It's all part of being a professional athlete and part of trying to chase your dreams and accomplish great things against unbelievable golfers.' - Guardian
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Galway teenager John Shortt storms into world final
Ireland's John Shortt has stormed into the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Junior Championships in Otopenia, Romania. The 18-year-old, Ireland's only representative at the championships, set a new Irish junior record in qualifying. Shortt, the 2025 European junior champion in the event, is now the second fastest Irishman ever over the distance after a swim of 53.80 in Tuesday's semi-final. Only Shane Ryan's 2019 Irish record of 53.73 is faster. The Galway native cruised through the heats in 54.39 in fourth overall. Tuesday's first semi-final saw Shortt, and American Gavin Keogh (53.52) take the top two spots for Wednesday's final, the second semi-final won by neutral athlete Georgii Iokevlev in 53.90. "I am very very happy with that swim, a PB which is nice," said Shortt. "You know since trials (in April) I haven't been 53 in that event, so to be 53.8 there I'm absolutely delighted with that. It's going to be a really really close final tomorrow, three of us going 53's and the Aussie going 54.0. It's going to be a very very packed final (on Wednesday), but I've just got to keep doing my own thing and I'll be ok. "I was very surprised as well with that swim, because coming off the back of (the world senior championships) it's been - to be completely honest - a very lonely ten days in between. So just want to give massive credit to (my coach) John Szaranek for keeping me going these past ten days or so because it's just been the two of us really. It's been great and I've loved it and I really want to end the season on a big high." The final will take place at 4:02pm on Wednesday.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'We'll be ready for it' - Colin Healy looking forward to Kerry's historic home FAI Cup quarter-final
Kerry FC manager Colin Healy admits he is delighted his side have been drawn to play at home in their historic quarter-final tie next month. The Kingdom, in their first ever last-eight clash, will face five-time FAI Cup winners Sligo Rovers at Mounthawk Park on the weekend ending September 14 following Tuesday afternoon's draw. Incredibly, this will be Kerry's tenth home game from a possible eleven in all cup competitions and Healy is looking forward to playing in front of another big crowd in Tralee. 'It's great to get a home draw," said Healy. "We are coming up a very good side with a very good manager. It will be a difficult game but you know what, its brilliant for the club. It's brilliant for everybody connected with the club. "On Friday night against Cobh, the fans were magnificent and to get another home draw, to get another big crowd in to support the team and get behind the team. Yeah, it's another big game to look forward to in the Cup. 'It's nice to get a home draw. We will have a big crowd down here, the atmosphere on Friday night was brilliant. The players were talking about it again yesterday; there is excitement around the town as well so it's great to be in the quarter-finals of the cup. "We have a few league games before that but overall its fantastic for the town.' Healy remarked that during his playing career Sligo were always a tough side to beat and the Showgrounds was a difficult place to visit. 'Sligo were always difficult to play against and are a Premier Division side and their manager John Russell is doing a very good job up their this year. "He has strengthened in the window, bringing in some very good players and they have got some very good results over the past few weeks so it will be a tough ask but we are looking forward to it. "They're good players. They're a premier side. Listen, we'll do our homework on them. We'll back ourselves 100%, but they are a premier side. They've got very, very good players. We'll be ready for it. 'That is our job, to watch these (Sligo) games, to watch them live. So, yeah, we will be looking at them. We'll have eyes on them everywhere. And probably they'll have eyes on us as well. So, yeah, they're the other sides of the job that we need to do our homework right on the opposition. 'It's great to be in the next round. It is. The performance the other night, I keep coming back, we had a game plan, the lads stuck to it. And I know in the first half, Cobh did have a lot of possession of the ball and we were probably giving away the ball in certain areas that we shouldn't have been. "But I thought in the second half, we controlled it and obviously changing the system helped us as well. Even the clean sheet, go and get the second goal. Everybody was brilliant. I was delighted for the players.' As for the injury situation for this Friday night's home league game with Longford Town, the Kerry boss confirmed he still has players unavailable. 'Ewan Lee comes back in now having been cup tied. Sean McGrath and Luke Palmer did a bit of running on Monday so I don't know will they be fit for Friday. "Daniel Okwute is still suspended but Aaran Healy is back training after his concussion, so we are getting a few bodies back.'
