Morning report from Team Ireland on Day 13 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
AUGUST 5th, 2021: Stephanie Meadow was first to hit the course this morning, beginning her round on 1-over par after an opening 72 yesterday.
A bogey on the par 3 10th was followed by birdies on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th to secure a second round 66 and leave her tied for 12th
GOLF
Stephanie Meadow was first to hit the course this morning, beginning her round on 1-over par after an opening 72 yesterday. Meadow was 2-under for her last three holes on Wednesday and reached the back nine today on 2-under par for her round and 1-under total. A bogey on the par 3 10th was followed by birdies on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th to secure a second round 66 and leave her tied for 12th as the rest of the field are still on the course.
“I just kind of managed it a bit better today I think,” said Meadow afterwards. “I still didn’t have my best stuff but I gave myself a little bit more room on left pins and didn’t short side myself so that was really the key and is always part of shooting under par.
“I guess I hope I can start like that tomorrow. There’s a lot of wedges on the last few, they’re easy-ish holes and they moved the tee on 18 up today so all of those things contribute but I finally got comfortable, hit good shots and started to see it a bit better.”
The heat is still a factor, with tournament organisers implementing additional heat mitigation measures including provision of umbrellas on the first tee and roving carts providing ice and cooling towels to players, caddies and officials.
CYCLING
Mark Downey finished 17th in the men’s omnium.
Downey, from Dromore in County Down, was racing ahead of his preferred competition, the madison, where he will compete alongside team-mate Felix English on Saturday.
The 25-year-old finished 16th in the first of the four omnium events, the 10km scratch race, before placing 19th in both the 10km tempo race and the elimination race.
That left Downey in 19th place overall heading into the final event, the points race, where he didn’t compete for any sprint points but crossed the line in ninth place to move up to 17th overall.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Downey said afterwards. “I’m an athlete, I like to compete, but look, it’s my first omnium at this level.
“I threw the kitchen sink at it. It’s not a banging result. It is what it is.”
“We got this race off the back of the madison, so I’m looking forward to going again with Felix. He’s super-motivated back in the hotel so I’m not too disappointed with the result.
“The level we know is really, really high here so I can’t be too disappointed, and we’ll move forward again.”