THERE WAS DISAPPOINTMENT for Irish men’s doubles Ronan Byrne and Philip Doyle on the water this morning, as they finished sixth and last in their semi-final and missed out on a place in the medal race next Wednesday.
The duo were tipped as a medal contender at these Games given they finished second at the 2019 World Championships, but this semi-final performance caps off an underperformance in Tokyo.
They needed a repechage yesterday to make this semi-final having missed out on automatic qualification from their Heat, and the added exertions perhaps had an impact on today’s semi-final, with the Irish crew never in contention for the top-three finish needed to qualify.
They finished sixth in a time of 6:49.06, almost 30 seconds behind winners France.
The French duo progress with Great Britain and Poland to the medal race, with the Irish pair heading to a ‘B’ final, which will be of little consolation.
Results
1. FRANCE 6:20.45
2. GREAT BRITAIN 6:22.95
3. POLAND 6:24.50
4. NEW ZEALAND 6:26.08
5. GERMANY 6:38. 41
6. IRELAND 6:49.06
