Corran AC the big winners at Connaught indoors with 30 medals
It’s been a momentous year for Corran AC, and the club’s efforts certainly showed at last weekend’s Connaught Indoor Championships.
The Ballymote based club came home with 30 medals and 24 qualifications to nationals from just 50 athletes.
On Saturday, the U12s and U13s were competing, and a total of 21 athletes took part in relays, followed by sprints, field events and hurdles.
They finished the day with glorious wins in the relays yet again to top off a superb first day.
A special word of well done to all our Under- 12s, most of who have never competed here before.
They put up a very brave battle and did Corran AC very proud.
The U13s were a little more experienced and claimed some well deserved medals.
Elizabeth Tighe got a bronze medal for the third place in the high jump ( her first competition), while Dylan McKenna also got a bronze in the Under- 13 long jump, and Emer Connolly came second in the Girls 60m, bringing home a well deserved silver medal.
In the Boys Under- 13 600m, Josh McNulty took home a silver medal, just ahead of Michael Lavin who came third and got the bronze for his efforts.
The relay teams were outstanding on Saturday, the boys Under- 12s finished in third place and won bronze medals, while the girls Under- 13s were just beaten into 2nd place on the closest of margins – 0.02 of a second ( 59.12 seconds against 59.10 second for the winners). Talk about a photo finish.
Meanwhile, the Under- 13 boys were still on an adrenaline rush from the AIT Grand Prix in Athlone earlier in the week, and they took gold again in the relay to bring the evening to a close.
The older boys and girls took to the track and field on Sunday, and once again all who took part really did themselves and their club proud.
Erin Taheny finished 4th in the Under- 14 60m Hurdles, but surprised many with a second place finish in the Under- 14 60m, proudly taking home her silver medal.
Zara Stafford took second place in the Under- 17 400m, a relatively new distance for her, with an excellent time of 71.42, while her school mate Aideen Coyle took third place and the bronze medal in the Under- 17 200m.
The Under- 14 girls 4 x 200m relay team took a third place finish with a combined time of 1.59.11, while the Under- 16 girls finished in the silver medal position, only a matter of seconds behind Galway City Harriers.
The Under- 15 girls, meanwhile, finished a very creditable 4th in a tightly contested 4 x 200m relay.
The Under- 17 boys snagged the third place bronze medals in their 4 x 200m relay.
In the U17 boys high jump, where Craig McLoughlin got silver, and Eoin McLoughlin only just behind him took third place and the bronze medal.
All- in- all, this was a fantastic weekend for Corran AC, but most especially for all 50 athletes who took part, and their families.
All of us in the club are so proud of the fantastic sportsmanship you all showed over the weekend, and the results of the training that you’ve all put in over the last few weeks especially have really paid off.
Corran AC has seen a huge growth in the last 18 months with a surge in membership.
More information on the club’s activities can be found on Facebook at ‘ Corran AC’.