Gold medals for McGuire and O’Boyle at National Juvenile finals

GALWAY athletes competed in huge numbers in the National Juvenile Track and Field Championships last Saturday and Sunday in Tullamore – the first of two weekends of competition.

Evan McGuire of Galway City Harriers took top billing in the championships, winning gold in the Under 19 400 metre hurdles in 54.45 and taking second in the 400 metre flat in the same category, running PBs and a championship best in the hurdles in the process.

His clubmate Maebh Brannigan also took two medals, with a bronze in the U17 800m in 2.21 and 2nd in the U17 400m in 59.67. GCH sprinters were in the medals too, with Cillian Greene who took silver in the U16 Boys 100m, running 11.79, and James Mitchell, who won a bronze medal with a time of 11.58 in the U18 100m

Other GCH athletes who captured medals included Laoise Geraghty, silver in the U13 Girls 600m, and Sean Kilmartin, third in the U15 Boys 250m Hurdles. Samuel Samson ran twice, securing a bronze in the U17 300m Hurdles and just missing out in the 400m flat, with an agonizing fourth place. James Fleming took a bronze in the U18 Boys 110m Hurdles in a time of 16.94

Craughwell athletes secured a great medal haul, and their star female athlete Sineád Treacy broke the club’s senior long jump record of 5.32m in Tullamore with a fine leap of 5.39m on her 6th and final jump in the U17 event. Sinead’s jump carried her to the bronze medal in a high quality long jump field where the top six jumpers all broke 5m.

Her record-breaking day continued into the sprints where she broke her own club record of 12.62 which she set at the recent Galway Juvenile Track & Field in Dangan. Sineád recorded an impressive 12.56 to place 2nd in the semi-finals of the U17 100m and went on to to take bronze in the final in a time of 12.71.

She was matched with two medals by clubmate Damien O’Boyle who continued his best year ever with an eight-second victory in the U17 2000m Steeplechase in a time of 6.31.91. and, on the second day, took bronze in the U17 800m in a time of 2.01.79 – that makes it six National medals this year for Damien.

 Craughwell AC athletes had five podium finishes and eight more top-eight finishes last Sunday. The distance races proved to be the most lucrative for the club with a bronze medal in the U19 3000m for Neil Greaney in a time of 9.12.12. Nicholas Sheehan had another big performance in the U18 800m to take third. John Cormican ran an impressive 2.01.20 to take 5th place in the same race, an outdoor PB.

For more, read this weeks  Galway City Tribune.