Sabre star Byrne’s joy as Beijing ticket is bagged

IRISH fencer Siobhan Byrne sensationally secured qualification for the Olympic Games at an European qualifying tournament in Istanbul on Saturday.

Byrne, a former Irish Examiner National Junior Sports Star, becomes to first Irish fencer to reach an Olympics since Michael O’Brien in 1992. She booked her place by beating the tournament’s number one seed, Andreea Pelei of Romania 15-14 in a thrilling semi-final, and was desperately unlucky to the lose the final to Spaniard Araceli Navarro by one hit (14-15).

Byrne, who competes in the Sabre weapon category said: “I am so thrilled to qualify for the Olympics.

“I can’t believe it. I felt good coming into this tournament. I knew what I had to do to realise my goal and stayed focused. I felt like it was my time, this is my turn. I’m so pleased.”

Byrne is in her final year of a sports scholarship at Ohio State University, studying health management, and is supported under the Irish Sports Council’s International Carding Scheme, and Performance Planning Programme for the last number of years. Byrne was born in Germany where her family is based and her father is from County Meath.

There will be 34 fencers in the Irish fighter’s event in Beijing.