Sports
Talented Costello wins gold medal in relay at European Youth finals
THERE was a milestone victory on the international stage last Friday for Milltown girl Laura Ann Costello of Galway City Harriers, who was the third leg runner on the gold medal winning Irish girls 4x100m relay team at the European Youth Olympics Festival in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
The successful Irish relay squad composed of Costello, Niamh McNicol, Roseanna McGuckian and Phoebe Murphy as they showed a clean pair of heels to all rivals in a time of 46.55, ahead of Ukraine in second and Belgium.
It represented a stunning achievement for the talented Irish girls as they also had to overcome the challenges of strong teams from Russia, Italy, Spain France and Holland on their way to European glory
Meanwhile, three Galway athletes were selected for the prestigious Track & Field Schools International which took place last weekend in the Morton Stadium, Santry. The event sees teams from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales compete annually.
Nicholas Sheehan and Damien O’Boyle of Craughwell AC and Alanna Lally of GCH were called up to the Irish team and performed with distinction. Sheehan was placed fourth in the 800m in a time of 1.58.80, just outside his PB, while O’Boyle raced to a new PB of 4.37.18 when coming 5th in the 1500m Steeplechase. GCH athlete Lally, just back from the World Youth Championships, came an honourable third, running 2.09.33 in the 800m.
The final weekend of The Athletics Ireland Juvenile Track & Field 2013 was held in Tullamore. There were plenty of medals for Galway and GCH relay teams, and individually for Galway athletes Damian O’Boyle (silver U17 1500m steeplechase), Maebh Brannigan (silver U17 1500m), Cillian Greene (silver U16 200m), Solange Veranda (bronze U19 200m), Veronica Burke (silver U18 3k walk U18) and Sinead Treacy (silver U17 200m).
Individual results – Under 19 Girls 200m: 3rd Solange Varanda (GCH), also competed Eleanor Whyte (GCH); Under 17 Boys 200m 4th Conor Duggan (Craughwell); Under 17 Girls 200m: 2nd Sinead Treacy (Galway); Under 16 Girls 200m: Tara McNally 4th (Craughwell); Under 16 Boys 200m: 2nd Cillian Greene (GCH); Under 19 Boys 1500m; 4th Neil Greaney (Craughwell); Under 18 Girls 3000m Walk: 2nd Veronica Burke (Ballinasloe & District); Under 17 Boys 1500m: 2nd Damien O’Boyle (Craughwell); Under 17 Girls 1500m: 2nd Maeve Brannigan (GCH); Under 14 Boys 1500m: 4th Oisin Lyons (Craughwell).
Other Galway athletes who competed with distinction were Cathal O’Brien, Abdul Wahab, Darragh Finnerman, Rory Monaghan, Aaron McDonnell, Claire Ryder, Ellen Fitzpatrick, Hayley Hession, Janic Schulte, Dearbhaile Walsh, Shannon Lee, Nicholas Sheehan, Roisin Dobey, James Mitchell, Alison Leahy.
The final day of the annual Galway Track and Field Championships took place last week on the NUI Galway track at Dangan. The first event saw the sprinters in action. In the Junior men’s event, Ben Cooney won gold for GCH with the fastest time of the evening in11.85, with Shane O’Rourke of Tuam AC second in 12.16 and Janic Schulte, Loughrea third in 12.47.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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