Galway's young athletes delivered an impressive medal haul at the National Juvenile Children's Games and U12 Championships last weekend.
Athenry AC's Daithí Nilan and Ben Crimmins combined effectively to secure gold in the boys U9 long jump pairs.
Galway City Harriers secured gold in the girls U9 300m pairs from Sophie Peoples and Caoimhe Coady, silver in the boys U11 600m pairs through James Langan and Eoin Devitt, and bronze in the girls U10 500m pairs from Amy Devitt and Sienna Morrissey.
Craughwell AC's Evan O’Flynn and Sam Kiely secured silver in the boys U9 60m pairs.
South Galway AC also secured medals, winning silver in the girls U10 60m pairs via Maeve Linnane and Jessica Brennan, and bronze in the boys U11 600m pairs from Tadgh McCarthy and Benjamin O’Connor.
Castlegar AC took home two silver medals in the sprints, via the boys U10 60m pair of Mason Calvey and Fionn O’Donnell and the girls U11 60m pair of Amelia Farragher and Cassi Healy.
Tuam AC won silver in the girls U11 long jump pairs via Anabelle Heneghan and Caoimhe Murphy.
Athenry AC provided one of Galway’s stand out U12 performances as Beth O’Kane claimed gold in the girls U12 shot put.
Galway City Harriers enjoyed major success on the track, winning gold in the boys U11 4x100m relay, as did South Galway AC who captured gold in the Girls U10 4x100m relay.
Overall, Galway clubs demonstrated impressive depth across both track and field, with multiple clubs contributing to the medal tally and strong performances across age groups.
National Track and Field League
Three Galway teams competed in the first round of the National Track and Field League last Saturday.
Following an excellent round one, the Galway women’s team secured qualification for the National League Track and Field Finals at Morton Stadium in Santry on Sunday, August 9.
On the day for the ladies, there were five wins - Nicole Walsh in the 400m, Lauren Kilduff in the 400m hurdles, Holly Shaughnessy in the 1500m walk, gold in the 4x100m relay (Nicole Quirke, Sinead Treacy, Laura Ann Costello and Emma O'Donovan ) and in the 4x400m relay (Sinead Treacy, Nicole Walsh, Elisa Jamie Stapleton and Danielle Moynihan ).
The Galway Men’s Senior Track and Field team secured a brilliant second place finish overall to also qualify for the upcoming National Finals.
The Galway squad amassed an outstanding total score of 105 points. Reakwon Lucciano (West Coast AC ) dominated the field in the 200m sprint, crossing the line in first place. In the distance events, Rian Collins (Athenry AC ) put in a masterful performance to win the gruelling 5000m, while Abaas Adam Edris (West Coast AC ) powered his way to victory in the 3000m Steeplechase.
Galway City Harriers Men’s team competed in the club section and placed a solid tenth overall, making the division one final in the process. Impressive performances came through Adill Prochownik claiming fourth in the pole vault and third in the 400m hurdles, Shane McGovern clipped another chunk off his 400m best when running a brilliant 49.56 and Barry Murphy was the ultimate team player contributing points across four events - the 800m, the 5000m, discus and 4x400m relay.
Tailteann Games
The Interprovincial Schools competition took place in Carlow last weekend.
Among the Galway athletes competing for Connacht were Claudia Coyle who placed second in the 1500m steeplechase, Rachel Warde who came second over the 80m hurdles, while Isabella Kearney and Niamh Breathnach medalled in the hammer and javelin. Kevin Sangodele placed fourth overall in the triple jump, Sarah Donald took a brilliant bronze as part of the 4x300m relay, and Elly Turner and Keilah Murray performed well in the 3000m.
Fixtures
The National Juvenile Track and Field Championships continue this weekend in Tullamore with two days of competition for U13-U19.
The Connacht Junior, Senior and Masters Track and Field Championships will take place on Wednesday, July 15 in Claremorris from 7pm-9pm.
