Wexford swing bells high in championship
TOP athletes from Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine and USA joined the Irish team for a fantastic weekend of kettlebell sport, which was held in St Joseph’s Community Centre, Wexford.
Seven youths from the Wexford Kettlebell Club competed with Ireland, along with five adults, who all fought hard for a place in the European Junior Championships, European Grand Prix for amateur seniors and The European Cup for professional seniors.
It was the first time this competition was held outside of Eastern European and the massive occasion was a great chance for sporting enthusiasts to see the participants compete at the highest level in the sport.
The Wexford Kettlebell Club members who competed in the Junior European Kettlebell Championships included Emma Smith, Brendan Smith, Gary Carroll, Becca Dowdall, Chloe Kehoe, Dylan Walsh and Megan Lane.
They were up against some difficult competition, but enjoyed the whole experience of being in the same company of the top kettlebell athletes in the world.
Gary Carroll received a silver medal for completing 60 reps, Chloe Kehoe managed a great result in her 16 kg snatch with 75 reps, Megan Lane placed second in the snatch discipline after 134 reps and Becca Dowdall took home the bronze after 117 reps in the long cycle event.
Both Dylan Walsh and Brendan Smith received a silver medal, Dylan came second in the 16 kg biathlon, while Brendan long cycled two 24 kg weights. Emma Smith also came second in her first Youth Championship.
Meanwhile, adult members from the Wexford club Alison Murphy, Maeve Carey, Collette Butler, Denis Costello and Catherine Tennant were part of team Ireland who competed in the European Grand Prix.
In the snatch discipline, Maeve was awarded a gold medal for 235 reps and Alison got a silver medal for 160. Collette and Catherine competed in the 16 kg long cycle event, where Collette came second and Catherine got a personal best at her first big competition.
It was Denis’s first international competition, where he long cycled two 24 kg and won gold.
The All-Ireland Kettlebell Lifting Federation were in charge of hosting the event and Mick Kelly, who is the President, would like to thank everyone involved and the staff at St Joseph’s.