Boyne tough it out in Dublin mudfest
MONTHS of hard work and dedication by the young athletes of Boyne AC came to fruition on Sunday as 12 talented youngsters took part in the National Even-Age Cross-Country Championships in the grounds of the new Abbotstown sports campus.
Having qualified through their provincial competition either individually, or as part of the Louth team, the opportunity to compete at such a high level is an achievement in itself, with more than a hundred athletes contesting each race.
After a slight delay at the start the Girls U-12 race got things under way, with two laps of the 1,000m course to contend with. Eimear Cooney, the sole representative from Boyne, took it all in her stride as she conquered the tough terrain, finishing in a superb 35th place overall.
In the Boys U-12 event Shea O’Donnell and Caelan Quinn had a fiercely competitive field of athletes to contend with, but despite running out of age O’Donnell did not let the pressure get to him.
He fought hard to claim 10th overall and earn his much-coveted place on the medal winners’ podium. The championships for his own age take place in Wexford in two weeks’ time and this talented young man will be one to watch.
Taking part in his first National event, O’Donnell’s clubmate Quinn ran a strong race and was delighted to be mixing it up with the best in the land.
Runners in the Girls U-14 event had 3,000m to contend with, and on the mucky and wet course this was no mean feat. Nevertheless, Louth Cross-Country athlete of the year in her age group, Anna Faulkner, ran a strong race to finish in 60th place overall in a field of more than 200. Clubmates Lily Cummins, Eabha Cosgrove, Saran Meite and Meadbh Nolan, despite a lost spike on the way round, all ran well.
The boys in that age group were next to race, and by now the course was a mud fest, but Danny Nugent used his natural strength to dig deep and finish 25th, with teammate Neil Culhane running well a few places behind.
Eva Cummins ran well in the U-18 4,000m despite a bad flu in the run-up to the weekend, while in the Senior Ladies 8,000m Sally Clarke ran well in a tough, competitive race.
A little closer to home, the track & field athletes had an opportunity to compete out of season in the Indoor Sports competition hosted by Cushinstown AC on Sunday last.
Tayo Lawrence proved he is set to follow in his sister’s footsteps as he finished third in the U-8 race, while sisters Shola and Amelia both ran well in their sprints.
Paige Gaynor and Shruti Prasad both ran well in their 60m sprints, as did brother and sister Daniel and Chloe Hanley.
Louth Track & Field athletes of the year in their respective age groups, Oliver Carolan and Aaron Fennell, both competed well, with a win in the 60m sprint and a bronze in the long jump for Carolan, and a gold in the 60m Hurdles and Shot Putt for Fennell. He also returned home with a silver in the long jump and high jump, with a new PB of 1.31m in the latter event.