Leinster Track Championships and Community Games 2015
On Saturday 6th June, a small but dedicated group of Glenmore athletes, parents and coaches traveled to Tullamore for the Leinster u9-u11 Pairs and u12 & u13 Championships.
Kicking off the day, were Anna Dawson and Orlaith Daly in the u10 Long Jump with both girls having tremendous jumps. Orlaith then teamed up with Chloe Mc Carragher in the 500m ,both girls came 4th place in their heats leaving them in a very strong 5th place overall. Chloe then joined Anna in the Turbo Javelin and after great throws from both athletes their distances awarded them a 5th place finish also. All three girls acquitted themselves extremely well in very tough competition with up to 20 other pairs in each event.
Next in the pairs competition were our u11 girls pair of Ava Brady and Lisa Conlon where they competed in the 600m and the Long Jump together. After both racing great 600m heats and confidently taking on another tough field in the Long Jump competition where both jumped PB’s, the girls did themselves very proud.
In the individual events, Laoise Mc Elroy competed in the u12 Long Jump and after several strong jumps she did very well overall amongst huge numbers in her event. Sean Mc Carragher threw powerful throws in the u12 Turbo Javelin to make the top 8 and finish a remarkable 4th place among Leinsters best, a true testament to all of his throwing practice. He also competed in the Long Jump where he jumped a PB which finished off his great day.
Anna Mc Ardle competed in the u13 600m and despite losing her right spike at the very start of the race she still completed the full 600m in fine style just missing out on the final by a very narrow margin. True determination from this gutsy athlete.
After a long wait, Sam Dawson and Daragh Brady took part in the u13 Long Jump. Both boys jumped exceptionally well and delivered strong performances amidst more tough competition. Daragh also competed in the 80m where he sprinted a very fast heat.
Following the boys, Ciara Carolan took to the track in the u13 girls 80m sprint and after coming first in one of the five heats on the day, Ciara finished a tremendous 7th place among Leinsters fastest u13 sprinters.
Orlaith Daly and Ciara Carolan had been selected to represent Louth in the Inter County relays also. This was already a great achievement but got even better when Orlaith’s u11 team came home in bronze medal position and Ciara’s u13 team taking gold.
A great day was had by all and showed how all of the athletes have made great improvements throughout the season due to their dedication and determination both in training and in competition. Thanks to Kevin Mullen once again for getting us there and back safely and in great spirits as usual.
The Community Games County finals took place in Lourdes stadium, Drogheda on Sunday. Grace Keenan and Emma McCarragher represented Cooley in the U8 60m sprint whilst Killian Keenan and Ciaran Levins stepped up in the U8 boys 100m. Lisa Conlon, Ava Brady & Chloe MCCarragher ran well in the U10 200m. Daragh Brady came home 1st in the U12 100m and Ciara Carolan won the U12 100m. In the U12 600m Daragh Conway ran strongly whilst Katie Conlon came 2nd in the girls event. Richard Campbell won gold in the U14 100m and Paul McGlynn also won gold in the U16 100m. Eoghan O’Connor put in a gutsy performance coming 2nd in the U16 1500m. Tadhg Leahy took home gold for the U16 marathon event. Enda O’Neill came 3rd in the U12 Ball Throw whilst Shaun Quinn also competed well in this event. In the long Puck Sean McCarragher took home gold for U12 with Ciara Quinn taking gold for the U14 girls event. Nicole Barry and Niall Brady both earned gold medals for the U14 long jump whilst Diarmuid O’Neill and Eoin McEneaney came 1st and 2nd in the U14 shot putt.
In the mixed U10 relay Lisa Conlon, Ava Brady, Killian Keenan, Ciaran Levins & sub Chloe McCarragher came 2nd. Daragh Conway, Daragh Brady, Enda O’Neill, Sean McCarragher & sub Shaun Quinn came 2nd in the U12 Boys relay. Ciara Carolan, Katie Conlon, Daragh Brady, daragh Conway & sub Nicole Barry won the U13 Mixed relay. Well done to all who participated & to those who had two days of athletics over the weekend. All who came first in their events in Community Games go through to the national Community Games finals in Athlone in August. Good luck to all in representing their county.
Well done also to Marie O’Connor who ran the Dublin mini-marathon last Sunday. The club are looking forward to next Saturday’s Glenmore Challenge 10 miler which starts at 11am. Race registration and number pick up is available on Friday evening from 6-8pm from Mullaghbuoy community centre & on the day registration is also available from 8-10am. Details can be found at www.glenmoreac.com. Good luck to all running in the 2nd year of this event.
