Conor Penney of Craughwell AC was announced last week as the recipient of the Athletics Ireland Juvenile Star Award for County Galway for 2022.
Penney won multiple national titles in 2022 and set a national high jump record, while Castlegar AC athlete Lemar Lucciano was chosen to receive the Athletics Ireland Breda Synott Award for Outstanding Athletic Achievement in 2022.
National Junior and U23 Championships
The National Indoor Track and Field Season 2023 kicked off at the weekend with the Junior (U20 ) and U23 Championships in Abbottstown, Dublin at the National Indoor Arena.
The star of the show was Evan Hallinan of Craughwell who won an incredible two gold medals in the junior men’s U20 category in both high jump and long jump.
In a thrilling high jump competition, the Craughwell athlete equalled his personal best of 1.96 metres to win, clearing the bar on the third and final attempt to snatch victory at the end.
The long jump competition saw a dominant display from Hallinan, as he leapt a massive 6.60 metres to secure his second gold and set a new club record.
Thrower Liam Shaw of Athenry AC was another double medalist, winning shot putt gold with a massive personal best of 16.39m, and he also won bronze in the weight for distance.
South Galway AC struck gold via the talented David Mannion in the 400m in a superb time of 48.88, while his twin brother Stephen finished fifth in a close race, setting a new personal best of 49.94.
Sinead Maher also of South Galway claimed bronze in the women's 3km walk race.
The U23 men’s 1500m featured four Craughwell AC Athletes. Kyle Moorhead, Oisin Davis, Patrick Noonan and Sean Cotter all raced, with Noonan best of the quartet on the day, taking a hard-earned national bronze with a new club record 3.54.36.
GCH fielded a number of athletes, with Anna McGinley and Sean Orajuba placing highest with two sixth placed finishes. Orajuba placed sixth in the U20 final in the 200m, while at U23 level Anna McGinley was sixth overall in the 1500m.
