Mixed fortunes for Cushinstown crew
IT was a case of ‘what a difference a day makes’ as Cushinstown AC enjoyed mixed fortunes in varying weather conditions on days one and two of the National Juvenile Championships in Tullamore.
Seven of their athletes were in action over the weekend and for those competing on Saturday it was yet another day of intense sunshine.
Aoife Lenehan threw very well in the U-18 shot putt competition, just missing out on the medals when coming fourth, and it was the same story for Katie Lenehan in the U-16 discus as she too finished fourth, while Amy Callaghan was fifth overall in the U-15 high jump.
In the U-15 80m hurdles Niamh Quinn ran very well in her heat, achieving a personal best time, but unfortunately it was not enough to get her through to the final.
In the U-14 75m hurdles Loclainn Harris stormed through his heat to come first and progress to a hotly-contested final where he unfortunately finished fourth.
And in the U-13 javelin, where a huge throw of 44.09m took the gold medal, Lee Callaghan (personal best) and James Bellew both threw well against strong competition.
On Sunday, in sharp contrast, there was almost continuous rain and drizzle, but there were some more great performances and this time the medals did not prove as elusive for Cushinstown athletes.
Starting the day off well, Niamh Quinn threw brilliantly in the U-15 discus to claim the gold medal with a personal best throw of 31.88m. Amy Callaghan and Amy Bellew both did well in the U-15 shot putt, with Callaghan throwing brilliantly to claim the bronze medal.
Laura Bolster did very well in the U-14 long jump to come fourth overall, and after a long day she ran brilliantly in the 80m sprint heat to progress to the final and claim the bronze medal.
Katie Lenehan threw well in both the U-16 javelin and shot putt and Aoife Lenehan impressed in the U-18 discus to come fourth, again just missing out on the medals.