Two Galway Athletes Named On Irish Team For Summer European Youth Olympic Festival

Two Galway Athletes have been named on the Irish Team for the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival that will be held in North Macedonia later this month.

17 Year Old Matthew Newell from Claregalway representing Tuam AC will be in the 5K walk and Connor Penney from Oranmore representing Craughwell will be in the High Jump.

The European Youth Olympic Festival is the largest European multi-sport event for young athletes aged 14-17, typically held every two years. This year it takes place in Skopje and will run from the 20–27 of July.

The EYOF is a prestigious event that plays an important role in the overall development of athletes, as it mimics the Olympic Games model, preparing athletes for the nuances of performing in a multi-sport environment. This year’s event will see forty-eight countries across Europe participate in the event, with over 4,000 athletes competing.

Team Ireland athletes who have been selected for this year’s event gathered at the official team day yesterday, where they picked up their kit, and heard from Tokyo and Paris Olympian, Ellen Walshe, who won a silver medal in the 100m Butterfly (swimming) at the EYOF in Tbilisi in 2015. The decorated and experienced swimmer shared her invaluable Games experience and insights with the young athletes before their departure.

Speaking at the team day, Walshe reflected on the key role the EYOF played in her Olympic journey, encouraging athletes to stay focused on their own performances and not get distracted by the excitement. She described the EYOF as the closest experience to an Olympic Games and said that competing at Tbilisi 2015 helped her adapt to the village environment in both Tokyo and Paris.

Announcing the team, Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for the EYOF, Gavin Noble said,

"The EYOF is a key milestone on the Olympic pathway, a chance for athletes to gain invaluable experience in a high-performance, multi-sport environment. This is a competitive and ambitious Team Ireland group, and while many are making their debut, they’re ready to step up. We are delighted to include a few new sports to this year’s programme, like Basketball 3x3, Table Tennis and Taekwondo, and look forward to supporting the whole team.”

The Irish team departs for Skopje on the 18^th of July, with competition starting on the 20^th of July. Coverage of the Games can be viewed on https://eoctv.org/ with daily recaps and results of the Irish action on the Team Ireland channels.

Previous medal winners from the EYOF include many of Team Ireland’s top performers like Rhasidat Adeleke, Lara Gillespie, Sarah Lavin and Sarah Healy. See the full list HERE.

Team Ireland Athletes (full details below)

Athletics

Lucie Cawley (Sligo) W 2000SC

Erin Friel (Donegal) W 400, W Medley Relay

Emma Hickey (Wexford) W 3000

Destiny Lawal (Limerick) W 100, W Medley Relay

Ellis McHugh (Waterford) W 400 H, W Medley Relay

Molly Daly (Kilkenny) W 200, W Medley Relay

Joe Burke (Tipperary), M 200

Lorcán Forde Dunne (Drogheda) M 1500

Matthew Newell (Galway), M 5km Race Walk

Conor Penney (Galway), M High Jump

Ben Sykes (Belfast) M 100

Isaac Vickers (Kerry), M 800

Thomas Williams (Cavan) M Hammer Throw

Jacqui Freyne - Team Leader

Niamh Fitzgerald – Coach

Dermot McGranaghan - Coach

Badminton

Hannah Shochan (Dublin) Girl’s Singles, Mixed Doubles

Luke Marks (Roscrea), Boy’s Singles, Mixed Doubles

Michael O’Meara - Team Leader

Basketball 3x3

Aoibheann Donnelly (Belfast) Girls 3x3

Helena Keane (Dublin), Girls 3x3

Faye McDonnell (Kilkenny), Girls 3x3

Muireann Teahan (Kerry), Girls 3x3

Niamh Dwyer - Team Leader

Cycling

Aoife Craig (Antrim) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)

Emer Heverin (Belfast) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)

Katie Turner (Dublin) Road Race, Time-Trial (F)

Tom Lane (Kanturk) Road Race, Time-Trial (M)

Rían McCrystal (Dundalk) Road Race, Time-Trial (M)

Caleb McGreevy (Armagh) Road Race, Time-Trial, Mountain Bike (M)

Michael Black - Team Leader

Eve McCrystal - Coach

Lindsay Gamble – Mechanic

Thomas Fallon - Physio

Gymnastics

Estella Volkoff (Carlingford) Girl’s Artistic Gymnastics

Roisin Hickey (Dublin) Girl’s Artistic Gymnastics

Chester Enríquez (Newtownabbey) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics

Finlay Hazleton (Craigavon) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics

Robert Ward (Dublin) Boy’s Artistic Gymnastics

Jonathan Stevenson – Team Leader

Conor McGovern – Coach

Nicole Cassidy – Coach

Sergey Sizhanov – Coach

Swimming

Julia Dziedzic (Swords) W 200m Backstroke, W 200 Freestyle, W 200 IM, W 400 IM, W 400 Freestyle

Anna Joyce (Ratoath) W 100 Breaststroke, W 200 Breaststroke

Shea Mathers (Newry) W 100 Butterfly, M 200 Butterfly

Jade Murphy - Team Leader

Table Tennis

Peadar Sheridan (Belfast) Boy’s Singles

Connor Higgins - Team Leader

Taekwondo

Charleigh Lee Smithers (Dublin) Girl’s 63+

John Kelly - Team Leader

Event Schedule:

Overview:

20^th July Opening Ceremony

21^st July Athletics, Badminton, Swimming,

22^nd July Athletics, Badminton, Basketball 3x3, Cycling Time Trial, Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis

23^rd July Athletics, Badminton, Basketball 3x3, Mountain Bike, Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis

24^th July Athletics, Badminton, Basketball 3x3, Cycling Road Race, Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis

25^th July Athletics, Badminton, Basketball 3x3, Gymnastics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo

26^th July Athletics, Badminton, Gymnastics, Table Tennis,

Athlete Bio Overview: