Medal joy for Wicklow crew
DEBBIE Griffin and Ashling Smith were among the medal winners at the Leinster Masters Cross Country Championships in Kilkenny last weekend, as their strong performances, coupled with the exploits of teammates Ann-Marie Kenny and Catherine O’Connor, sealed the provincial team gold medal for the foursome.
Both Griffin and Smith claimed silver in their respective categories – Griffin’s first-ever medal – while Kenny finished fourth in the same age group as that of Smith, and O’Connor finished fourth in her category in the ladies 4k race; narrowly missing out on a medal.
As a result of the female contingent’s strong showings, they came away with the Leinster team title, while also taking home the county silver for Wicklow.
On the other side of the eight-person team that was sent to Kilkenny to represent Wicklow in the championships, Bill Tyrrell came away with a silver medal in his age category, while Darren Ó Maonaigh – fresh off finishing third at the Wicklow X races last week – finished 13th in in his age group in his Leinster debut.
As for the rest of the male representatives, Dominic Horan claimed silver in his category. Meanwhile, Cormac Conroy, alongside Tyrrell, Horan, and Ó Maonaigh, went home with third place and the bronze medal as a team.
Their exploits represent a successful day for the Wicklow-based athletes, who have a healthy medal haul to show for their efforts, and will be looking for more at the National Cross Country Championships, in Avondale, in February.