Day 7 Preview

There will be 20 Irish athletes in action tomorrow, the most in one day so far, this is thanks somewhat to the Track and field program beginning.

12:00 Sailing

Women’s Laser races 4, 5 and 6

Ciara Peelo begins the day lying in 23rd position after a disastrous start to her campaign. Tomorrow will be crucial if she is to get back into contention.

Men’s Finn races 8, 9 and 10
After seven races in the Finn class Tim Goodbody lies 21st overall. There is little chance of making the medal race but he will be looking to finish in a more respectable position.

Men’s 470 races 7 and 8

Ger Owens and Phil Lawton lie in 11th place. They have recorded two wins so far and if they can show their class in the remaining races, a medal is a very good chance.

In the Star class, Stephen Milne and Peter O’Leary begin their regatta with race 1 and 2.

16:20 Rowing – Men’s Lightweight Four Semi-Final

The Irish team of Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Gearoid Towey, Cathal Moynihan will be racing in a packed schedule tomorrow. The rowing programme was called off yesterday due to thunderstorms in the Shunyi area. After an impressive repechage, the Irish will be confidant of making the final but they will be taking nothing for granted as they know that only a top performance will do if they are to finish in the top three.

Also in action is the coxless four who will be rowing for places 7-12 at 17:50 after their race was postponed today.

16:55 Cycling

David O’Loughlin competes in the men’s individual pursuit qualifying. David finished in 6th place in the World Championship and if he performs to his capabilities he will have a decent chance of a medal.

19:15 Show Jumping

Denis Lynch and Lantinus will compete in the first qualifying round of Olympic jumping on Friday evening. Despite Ireland's brilliant tradition in show jumping, there will only be one Irish rider as Ireland did not qualify for the team event. Lynch faces stiff competition and will have to be in exceptional form if he is to make an impact on the competition.

19:19 Athletics

The first Irish athlete in action is Alistair Cragg in the heats of the 1500m. This will be one of two events for Cragg, who will compete in the 5000 later in the week. Cragg is one of the best middle distance runners in Europe, the real competition however, will come in the form of the west Africans who dominate these distances.

Two more athletes are in action at 20:25 when Fionnuala Britton goes in heat 1 of the women’s 3000m steeplechase with Roisin McGettigan in heat 3. McGettigan has been in great form recently, winning the London Super Grand Prix and both women will be looking to make the final.

20:00 Boxing Bantamweight

John Joe Nevin faces World silver medalist Badar Uugan Enkhbat of Mongolia tomorrow and Nevin will be a certain underdog. This will not faze the teenager though and he will feel no pressure going into this fight. The fight is likely to be a low scoring affair and if Nevin can get a bit of a lead, his speed and slick movements will ensure that he wont give it away easily and he will be sure to frustrate Badar. If all goes well, a shock may be in store.

What else is on?

As the Athletics begins in a few hours, there are a few events that can't be missed even on the first day. The showcase event, the Men's 100 metres begins tomorrow with the heats and quarter finals. The big guns such as Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay will be looking to ease through their races tomorrw without much effort and it will be an early indication at who looks in the best shape. There will also be madals up for grabs as the Men's Shot Put and Women's 10,000m will be decided.