Boyne U-13s take silver
THE 2018 indoor season came to a dramatic and exciting close for Boyne AC as their Under-13 Boys team took the silver medal in the National Indoor Relays last weekend.
Postponed due to the weather, the team took full advantage of the extra week’s training as they worked tirelessly to perfect their speed and changeover technique, all under the watchful eye of their coaches.
Having qualified for the national final with a gold medal-winning performance in the Leinster Indoors, these four young men were determined to better their 2017 National result, where they placed fourth.
Winning their heat with ease, they proceeded to the final full of enthusiasm and excitement, and they certainly did not disappoint their families and coaches who were there in support.
Aaron Fennell had a great start, passing the baton to Alex Devine, who ensured the lads held their strong position. A smooth changeover to Amitesh Bala saw the boys close on the leading team, and the quick sprinting of Killian Ekhator saw the gap close to just a fraction of a second as the two leaders crossed the line together.
After an agonising wait, a photo finish gave the other team the win, with Boyne taking the silver, just .33 of a second separating the two!
Delighted to have finished second in Ireland, they also ran a new PB time of 53.86sec, taking a huge three seconds off their previous best indoor time.
The quartet are the current holders of the outdoor silver medal title and will be hoping to repeat, if not better, that result in the outdoor relays to be held in the summer.
Out on the roads, meanwhile, Boyne’s senior athletes also had some super results, with Paul Kirwan - tackling the Manchester Marathon - knocking a whole eight minutes off his previous best when crossing the line in 3hr 39min.
Rebecca Carolan took on the shorter 5k distance in the Glen Emmets run, finishing second lady, and Ruth McCabe was delighted with her sub 29-minute time in her first race in six months.