Galway’s young world champion handballer Cianna Ni Churraoin is celebrating Christmas in the USA this year as she prepares for another title challenge.
Cianna Ni Churraoin, from the Invern club, is part of the Irish team of six young handballers who departed for Chicago on Tuesday to compete in the US Handball Association Junior Championships.
The 13-years-old Ni Churraoin, who is the only Connacht contender on the team, competes in the girls’ 15 & under singles event.
She will be hoping to end 2009 on a high having enjoyed a hugely successful year that includes two junior college singles titles, two All-Ireland u-14 doubles titles with Moycullen’s Roisin Conneely, a Feile division 1 team title and a Gael Linn title, as well as Irish 40x20 and one-wall nationals singles titles and a provincial team title.
Ni Churraoin be accompanied by her mother Frances who is a joint team manager with Tyrone’s Ryan Daly.
Moycullen’s Martin Mulkerrins, the reigning All-Ireland under 16 singles champion, missed out on selection, having lost to Cork’s Killian Carroll by a few aces in the third game tie-break at the recent trials.
