Galway Track and Field Championships
The Galway County Juvenile Track and Field Championships took place in Dangan over two days last weekend, with thousands of athletes and spectators in attendance across a packed events programme, with a club-by-club report below
Craughwell AC delivered an outstanding performance at the Galway Juvenile Track & Field Championships, notably claiming a remarkable haul of gold medals across track, field and relay events from U13 to U19 level.
In the sprint events, Craughwell athletes secured multiple county titles. Laoise Scully led the way in the U17 girls’ 400m, while Grace Drysdale (U16 100m), Adele Casserly (U16 200m), Róisín Griffin (U15 100m) and Ruby Maher (U15 200m) all sprinted to victory in their respective races. Halle Feerick completed a notable sprint double, winning both the U15 boys’ 100m and 200m titles.
Over the Hurdles, Craughwell continued their dominance. Gold medals went to Emma O’Donovan (U19 100m hurdles), Rachel Warde (U18 100m hurdles), Harvey White (U17 100m hurdles), Carl Morris (U16 boys’ hurdles) and Faye Whelan (U16 girls 80m hurdles).
In the longer hurdles, Oisín O’Donovan triumphed in the U17 boys’ 300m hurdles, while Carl Morris (U16 boys 250m hurdles), Faye Whelan (U16 girls 250m hurdles) and Maeve Desbonnet (U15 girls 250m hurdles) all struck gold.
Craughwell AC athletes also excelled in the high jump, winning all but one title.
Gold medal performances came from Harvey White (U17 boys), Faye Whelan (U16 girls), Bethann Beattie (U15 girls), Halle Feerick (U15 boys), Aoife O’Connell (U14 girls), Matiss Ozolins (U14 boys), Olivia Rooney (U13 girls), and Danny Kieran (U13 boys), with the club also achieving a clean sweep in the U13 boys’ event.
In the Long jump competitions, Isabelle Power and Adele Casserly claimed gold in the U17 and U16 girls’ events respectively, while Koshi Tamura secured the U16 boys title and Matiss Ozolins added to his tally with victory in the U14 boys. Danny Kieran again impressed by winning the U13 boy’s event.
Throwing events saw further success, with Oisín Molloy winning the U17 boys javelin, Chloe Lane taking gold in the U16 girls shot put, and Aaron Burke achieving a double victory in the U14 boys javelin and discus. Ross Hoade (U13 shot put) and Danny Mitchell (U13 javelin) also claimed titles.
Craughwell AC capped an exceptional day with dominant relay performances. The U15 girls delivered gold in the 4x100m, while both the U16 and U17 girls’ teams also secured county titles with strong, composed runs.
East Galway AC secured several gold medal wins, via the U9 girls Long Jump where Ellie Panka took home gold individually and she and Libby Geraghty paired for another gold
In the turbo javelin, Beth Naughton claimed county gold with Meabh Lally close behind taking silver at U12 level. Also, in the U12s Barry McManus dominated the field events, taking county gold in both the Turbo javelin and Shot Putt.
South Galway AC secured 11 Gold, 15 Silver and 8 Bronze on Day two at the U13 to U19 Galway Championships.
There were some exceptional performances, notably by Donal Coyle who won gold in U16 1500m and 800m, Fionn Deutingar who gold in the U18 Shot put and gold in the discus, Anthony Kenny who won gold in U14 long jump, silver in 100m and bronze in 200m, Jack Taylor who won gold in the U15 discus and shot put and bronze in the javelin, Jack Lundon who won silver in the U15 800m and 250m hurdles, Hollie Carey who won gold in shotput and silver in the long jump and Roisin Fogarty who won gold in the U15 1500m and bronze in the 800m.
On Day one, South Galway AC U12 boys won medals in seven out of eight events, notably Ryan McHugh won gold in Long Jump, as did Éanna Fordham gold in 60m sprint
Meave Linnane won gold in the U10 girls 60m and Jessica Brennan bronze. The girls also won pairs gold. The U10 relay team for South Galway claimed gold, while Tadgh McCarthy won the U11 boys Long Jump, and Ben O’Connor and Tadgh McCarthy won Pairs gold in the 600.
Castlegar AC dominated the Girls distance races, as over the 3000m events, they took triple gold and championships records.
In the Girls U16 event, Síun Ní Chonaill made her debut over 3000m at the county championships on Saturday, and stormed home to win in a championship record. In the U17 girls, Caragh Flynn won her first county gold medal as she cruised to victory in the 1500m by 14 seconds. At U17 Elly Turner made her debut over 3000m on the track and won in a record beating the old mark by 25 seconds. Clíodhna Ní Chonaill obliterated the championship record in the 2000m racewalk also at U17. At U19 girls, Isobelle Conroy won the U19 800m.
In the U15 boys races, Calum Deeth claimed the gold medal in the 1500m, finishing in a superb time of 4:53.11, while in the U15 girls Maisy-Bo Joyce produced an outstanding performance to take the top podium place in the 800m, finishing in a brilliant time of 2:30.71. Ciara Murphy was another star performer winning an outstanding double county 80m (10.62) and 200m (27.36) title.
In the U-13 boys races, Colm Garvey got the boys off to a strong start in the U 80m, clocking an impressive 11.06 seconds and taking the gold Medal, while Alex Lomboto showed great versatility across a number of events, and won gold on the 60m hurdles, A standout performance came from Ciaran Casey, who ran a superb 1:46.13 in the 600m to claim his first individual medal.
The day finished for the U-13 boys with a relay win as the team of Colm Garvey, Alex Lomboto, Jacob Leahy and Ciaran Casey took the gold medal with an excellent time of 56.93 seconds.
In the U-11 girls, the girls delivered a fantastic set of performances with medals, personal bests and strong relay displays across the track and field events.
Amelia Farragher had an outstanding day, taking gold in the 60m sprint in a superb time of 9.05 seconds, while also claiming bronze in the long jump. She later teamed up with Cassi Healy to secure gold in the 60m pairs event.
Castlegar AC won the gold medal in the U10 60m pairs through Mason Calvey and Fionn O'Donnell. Liam Garvey and Faolán Dilleen finished 4th overall in the pairs.
West Coast Athletic Club enjoyed a highly successful outing at the Galway County Juvenile Track and Field Championships last weekend with a series of standout performances yielding multiple gold medals across several age groups.
Leading the charge at U19 level, John McDermot produced an impressive sprint to claim gold in the 100m, while clubmate Izzy Kelly secured top honours in the discus with a strong field performance.
At U18 level, Francis McCarty delivered one of the performances of the championships, completing a superb double by taking gold in both the 110m hurdles and the long jump.
The U17 category saw further success for West Coast AC, as Michelle Nnadi dominated the sprint events, sprinting to gold in both the 100m and 200m to complete another outstanding double for the club.
Tuam Athletics Juveniles delivered an outstanding performance at the Galway County Juvenile Track and Field Championships in Dangan, securing an impressive haul of 12 gold medals across two days of competition.
Day One proved particularly fruitful, with the club claiming 10 gold medals across a range of track and field events. Among the standout performances, Julia Kostrubiec completed a superb double in the U15 girls’ shot putt and discus, while Cumhall O’Callaghan (U13 1000m walk), Shiloh Ndefo (U16 100m), and Jayden Jennings (U14 75m hurdles) all produced commanding victories in their respective disciplines.
There was further success in the jumps and hurdles, with Oisin Munnelly winning U17 boys’ long jump gold and Saoirse O’Connor taking top honours in the U17 girls’ 100m hurdles. Race walking also proved a strong area for the club, as Emma Howson (U15) and Erin Burke (U18) both struck gold, while Baiba Versbaga added to the medal tally with victory in the Masters women’s 2000m walk.
Day Two (U9–U12) saw Tuam AC add two further gold medals, both achieved by a standout double performance from Will Tighe, who powered to victory in the U10 boys’ 60m sprint and long jump.
Clare River Harriers enjoyed a rewarding and spirited day at the Galway Outdoor Championships in Dangan, with several standout performances yielding four gold medals
Leading the charge in the U14 ranks, Ava Dinkin delivered a commanding performance to take gold in the 2km walk, while clubmate Eve Shanahan impressed on the track to secure victory in the 800m, underlining the strength of the club in both endurance and middle-distance events.
The success continued in the U16 category, where Hazel Dinkin showed great determination to claim gold in the 2km walk, adding to the club’s strong showing in race walking disciplines. Rhona Connolly capped off an excellent day for Clare River Harriers with a superb run to win gold in the U19 1500m,
Loch Lurgan AC secured gold medals via Alex Rawat who won gold in the U11 Turbo javelin individually and as a pair with team mate Eli Shiels. In the U13 Girls, Abigail Rawat won gold with a massive throw in the Turbo Javelin.
Loughrea AC secured gold over 800m from the impressive Ben Naughton
Athenry AC produced a superb display at the Championships with a series of standout performances delivering an impressive tally of gold medals across multiple age groups.
Leading the way for the club were the U14 boys, who dominated across track, field and relay events. Noah Brady claimed a sprint and field double with gold in the 80m and Shot putt, while Donnacha O’Kane powered to victory in the 200m.
Middle-distance strength was underlined by James O’Malley, who completed an excellent double in the 800m and 1500m, and Owen Gannon added another gold in the 2km walk. The U14 boys also combined effectively to secure gold in the 4x100m relay. In the girls’ events, Eva Carroll delivered with an impressive win in the U14 75m hurdles, highlighting her strength in sprint hurdling.
There was further success at U15 level, where Harry Melia produced a strong performance to win gold in the hurdles, while the U15 boys relay team also claimed top honours in the 4x100m.
At U16 level, Athenry AC continued their winning form. Liam Cake sprinted to victory in the 200m, while Matthew Broderick dominated the throwing events, securing a double gold in both the shot putt and javelin. The U16 boys also added to the medal haul with victory in the 4x100m relay.
Athenry Juvenile AC enjoyed another highly successful day across the U9–U12 age groups. Leading the way was Eliza Mae Dunne, who produced a superb double victory in the U9 girls’ events, sprinting to gold in the 60m and following up with another impressive win in the 300m,
In the U12 age group, Emma O’Malley showed excellent strength over distance to claim gold in the 600m, while Beth O’Kane dominated in the field to take top honours in the Shot putt with a strong throw.
Daithí Nilan delivered an outstanding double performance in the U9 boys’ events, winning both the 300m and the long jump, showcasing his all-round athletic ability.
There was also relay success for Athenry, with the U12 girls’ 4x100m relay team combining brilliantly to secure gold in a fast and competitive race.
Galway City Harriers’ young athletes produced an outstanding performance on both days of the Galway County Juvenile Championships in Dangan. On Day two the club amassed a remarkable 101 medals and five championship records across the U9–U12 age groups.
Central to this success were an impressive 15 county titles, with several athletes delivering multiple gold medal performances. Dylan Devitt was among the standout performers, claiming gold in the U12 boys 600m and 60m hurdles, both in championship record times, while also contributing to relay success. Rachel Fennessy also completed a superb double, winning gold in the U12 girls long jump and 60m hurdles, the latter in record-breaking fashion.
Another key contributor was James Langan, who stormed to gold in the U11 boys 60m, setting a new championship record, and played a leading role in the victorious U11 boys relay team, which also broke the championship record. Eoin Devitt added to the middle-distance success with gold in the U11 boys 600m, while Amy Devitt took top honours in the U10 girls 500m.
Relay teams played a major role in the club’s gold medal tally. GCH secured victories in the U11 boys relay (record-breaking), U12 boys relay, and U9 girls relay, highlighting strong depth and teamwork across age groups.
GCH took a massive 75 medals on day 1 of the County Outdoors - 36 gold, 24 silver and 15 bronze, They also set 8 Championship Best performances throughout the day. Among the winners were Maneli Fazaeli, who was involved in three Championship Best Performances, taking 0.53s off the U13 80m best with 10.43s and eclipsing Emma Moore's 600m record by 0.2s with 1:40.90. Fazaeili along with team-mates Katie McGlynn, Elliana Magnetti, Thea Lynch, Matilda McGynn and Ribeaca Gibbons won Relay gold also Elliana Magnetti from the team broke the very first championship record of the day in winning the U13 hurdles. Caoimhe Cavelleri set a huge new Championship Best for U14 Javelin with a monstrous 27.48, adding almost 4m to the existing best in securing victory.
Adill Prochownik clinched gold and a championship best for the U18 400m Hurdles in 60.91, while the under 19 boys team of Mahmoud Diarrasouba, Hugo Lynagh, Luke Spence and Majus Ogilevicius claimed another County Outdoors Relay Record for GCH by just 0.01s when running 45.68s. The U17 Mixed 4x400m also struck gold with a clocking of 4:46.01.
The 36 County title wins included 13 for sprints from 80m-400m, 6 for Middle Distance, 6 for Long & Triple Jump, 4 for Relay, 3 for Javelin, 2 for Hurdles and 2 for Walks.
Galway 5km Series
The fourth leg of the Galway 5km Series was held in Caltra yesterday evening on a fast course.
First home on the night was Evan O’Rourke of Maree with a blistering 15.29, with Jordan Walsh of Craughwell second in 15.54 and John Whiriskey of South Galway third in 16.45
First lady home in a fast race was Aisling Joyce of GCH in 17.45, with Nora Tierney of GCH right behind in 17.46 and Phoebe Whiteside third also for GCH 17.52.
Next weekend sees the National 5k Championships in Dublin in the Phoenix Park on Saturday 16th May.
