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.