Irish harvest gold and bronze at the World Ploughing Contest in Canada

Irish ploughmen have harvested gold and bronze at the World Ploughing Contest in Canada.

John Whelan, Wexford, won the reversible section, and Eamonn Tracey, Co Carlow, was third in the conventional section in Olds, Alberta.

“The competition at world level is intense, to come out on top twice by winning gold and bronze is beyond our expectations,” said Anna Marie McHugh, assistant managing director of the National Ploughing Association, who was recently appointed general secretary of the executive committee of the World Ploughing Organisation.

The Irish team will fly into Dublin Airport at 9.15am this morning, before travelling to a celebration in Carlow at midday.

John Whelan was best of 27 international reversible competitors. In the stubble section of the contest,he had the top score of 215.5 points, and he was second best in grassland, with a winning total of 402 compared to Austrian runner-up Margareta Heigl’s 390.5.

Northern Ireland’s Thomas Cochrane was third, scoring 376.5.

John is a four-time Irish, senior, reversible national champion, he has won the European reversible title twice, and this was his fifth world contest appearance.

Eamonn Tracey has represented Ireland at world level eight times.

In a field of 30 competitors in Alberta, he had the top stubble score of 185 points, and sixth best grassland score, 166, for a total of 351 to win the bronze medal.

Austria’s Barbara Klaus scored 366.5 to take the gold medal, and Fabien Landre of France took the silver with 361 points.

The 2012 world silver medallist, he was the bronze medallist in 2006. He is a seven-times national ploughing champion.