Ruarcan leads the Boyne charge with two medals
BOYNE AC athletes performed strongly and won a hatful of medals over the weekend at the Leinster Track & Field Championships in Tullamore.
Getting things off to a good start on day one, Eadaoin Carroll ran well in her heat of the U-14 girls 200m sprint, as did Saran Meite who finished second in her heat, qualifying for the final where she was unlucky to just miss out on a medal. Likewise, Sophie Gartland, who finished third in her heat of the U-15 200m, was just pipped at the post, finishing a creditable fourth in her final, while clubmate Lily Cummins ran well in her heat of the 200m.
The first medal of the day went to Aaron Fennell who continues to improve over the hurdles, as he placed second in the final of the U-13 60m hurdles, a split second behind first place. Aaron then went on to add a fine gold to his collection as he threw a new PB in the javelin of 34.37m.
Lily O’Connor is another fine hurdler from Boyne AC and she took a podium place in the U-16 80m hurdles, finishing in a fine third spot.
In the distance races, Tom Cummins ran well in the U-17 boys 800m, while in the U-19 boys race Ruarcan O’Gibne, no stranger to the podium, took a well-earned silver medal.
Eabha Cosgrave ran well to place 10th overall in the U-14 1500m, while in the boys race Neil Culhane just missed out on a medal, finishing in fourth.
Caer NiGhibne continues to improve, as she took a well-deserved bronze in the U-15 girls 1500m, while in the boys U-16 race Calum Sheedy, Killian McLoughlin and Christian Quinn all ran well against fierce competition.
In the field events Max Kingston placed fifth in the U-14 javelin and sixth in the shot putt. It was a bronze medal for Cathal Monaghan in the U-15 javelin as he threw 31.48m, and bronze too for Euan Canniffe in the U-16 event, proving he is making a strong return from injury.
Day two saw a return trip to Tullamore where Boyne AC once again excelled across a variety of events.
The day began with the U-15 girls 100m sprint, with solid runs from Lily Cummins and Sophie Gartland that saw them both qualify for the final, where they placed just outside the medals in fifth and sixth place respectively.
Tom Cummins was the first Boyne athlete to grace the podium as he took a fine silver medal in the U-17 boys 2,000m steeplechase, a new venture for this talented young man.
The U-14 800m heats saw Eabha Cosgrove, Saran Meite and Eadaoin carroll all run well to qualify for the finals, where all were unlucky not to medal in a tough race, while in the girls U-15 age group Caer NiGhibne ran a super race to qualify for her final, where she was just pipped at the post for a medal.
In the boys U-14 800m a strong tactical run from Danny Nugent proved that his hard work is paying off as he crossed the line in a fine second place. Christian Quinn and Killian McLoughlin also qualified for their final of the U-16 800m, where they both ran well.
In the U-17 girls 1500m a strong run from Cliodhna Nolan saw her just edged out of a medal place, finishing fourth overall. Tadgh Everitt Thompson pitted himself well amongst his competitors, finishing a good fifth overall in the U-18 boys 1500m, while the icing on the cake came in the form of a new PB for Ruarcan O’Gibne as he stormed to victory in the U-19 boys 1500m, crossing the finish line in a super 4:02.48.
Also in action on the weekend, two Boyne AC athletes were representing Leinster in the Special Olympics Ireland Games, with Eddie Kennedy and Kieran Crosbie both winning gold medals in their events.