Limerick swimmer misses out on Olympic semi-final

LIMERICK’S Fiona Doyle missed out on a place in the semi-final of the women’s 100m breaststroke at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games yesterday.

Raheen woman Doyle finished eighth in heat five of the 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:07.58.

The 24-year-old was placed 20th over all, with the top 16 swimmers making it through to this morning’s semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro. The Limerick woman, who had an unfavourable draw in lane one, missed out on the semis by just .26 of a second.

Afterwards Doyle said she was very disappointed with her swim.

Meanwhile, Limerick-based rower Sinead Lynch had her quest for lightweight double sculls glory postponed by at least 24 hours after rowing was postponed due to high winds at the Lagoa Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Thirty nine-year-old Donegal native Lynch, who is attached to St Michael’s Rowing Club, is married to two-time Limerick Olympian and two-time world champion Sam Lynch.

Sinead Lynch and 26-year-old Dubliner Claire Lambe will hope that the wind relents sufficiently in order to allow the double sculls finally take to the water in Rio this Monday.

The Olympic regatta got off to a testing start on Saturday, with athletes leaving the water complaining about being made to race in windy conditions.

Swimmer Fiona Doyle holds six national records. She was the first Irish athlete to qualify for Rio on the back of silver at the 2015 University Games, a far cry from her London 2012 experience when she missed out on qualification by half a second.

The Limerick woman has been competing from her base in Calgary, Canada since 2012, after moving there to study kinesiology.

Fiona Doyle will will be hoping to better luck when she competes in the first round heats of the 200m breaststroke on Wednesday.

Those heats are due to begin at 5.47pm Irish time.

Fiona Doyle’s grandfather founded St Paul’s Swimming Club, eventually called Limerick Swimming Club.

Her twin sister Eimear also enjoyed a successfully elite swimming career which was unfortunately cut short by injury.