The weekend of the 9th/10th of July 2016 was a busy weekend for the younger Dunboyne AC athletes as they headed the Midlands to contest in the Glohealth All Ireland Track and Field Championship at a blustery and wet Tullamore Harriers Stadium. It was an achievement in itself for our prized athletes to have qualified for these National final, but they were thirsty for further success amongst the country’s elite.
Saturday was juvenile relays and the development All Irelands Kate Griffin was our first starlet in action as she took to the arena in the under 13 high jump, Kate despite unfavourable conditions jumped close to her PB as she continued to improve in this new discipline.
Pablo Mendoza was our only sprinter in action on day 1, and in his first All Ireland finals raced to a very respectable fourth in his heat, narrowly missing out on being one of the fastest qualifiers for the final. Next up on the track was our talented under 13 girls relay team made up of Aideen Reilly, Lucy Eglington, Dervla McNicholas, Lorena Harrison and Kayla Ryan fresh from their Leinster success, the girls despite having a few hiccups in their heat qualified for the final. After a long wait the girls having a bad lane draw battled all the way to the finish line, finishing 7th in a blanket finish.
Going into the Development middle distance races, 7th seemed to be contagious as Laura Gavin ran a even paced race in the under 12 600m in what was a very talented field of athletes. Aoife McCormack followed her pre race instruction and a had an early burst of speed towards the finish just running out of steam on the home front front in the under 13 600m race. The last individual runner in action on Saturday was Kate Reilly who still in her first year of competition got in the mix of a very entertaining under 15 800m, and like the other girls showed her blossoming talent when she (yes you guessed it) came home in seventh.
It was not until Abigail Knox sprang into action in the under 14 Development high jump that Dunboyne’s luck changed. Abigail after a few extra sessions with coach Dessie Gough was a dominant force in her competition and always looked a class above her fellow leapers as her took gold and her first individual national title.
Our last clubsters to hit the tartan on the opening day on this national stage were our cheeky under 12 relay squad, namely Aleah Kelly, Sinead Magee, Aideen Reilly, Serena Gavin and Laura Gavin . These girls gave it their all, pushing the opposition all the way to the line, narrowly missing out on qualification for the final, leaving both the girls and coaches gutted after such a gallant performance.
Not much changed weather wise on Day 2, the u12 to u19 All Ireland Track and Field Chamionship, however our fortunes took a turn for the better. Jack Nyhan had an early start in the under 17 shot putt, walking from the throwing circle to the podium after throwing just short of 15m. Jack claimed silver on Sunday, but his improving technique was the biggest bonus, getting it right on the big occasion. Take a bow Declan.
Cian Smith, under the watchful eye of his coach Aideen Murray, was our first track athlete in action on this second day of competition. Cian was lining out for the under 13 60m hurdles, and expectations were high after a good Leinster outing. A little lapse of concentration proved costly at hurdle four, leaving Cian fourth in his heat, missing out on a place in the final by .04 of a second.
We had the misfortune of having to pull Ross Lyons out of his under 13 600m, having picked up a late injury, leaving our hopes in the middle distance races with the girls. We had two under 12 athletes contest the 600m final where Sophie Dolan and Aleah Kelly were going head to head. Aleah got off to a flyer and came home a fantastic 4th just outside the medals, with Sophie not far behind in 6th. To have two girls from the one club in a national final is great, but the potential both these youngsters show in the race bodes well for Dunboyne AC’s future. We had Kayla Ryan racing in her first All Ireland track final, where in the under 13 600m they went off at an incredible pace which never let up. Kayla dug deep and showed great character as she came home a credible 9th, never giving up and leaving some respected athletes in her shadow. Last of the middle distance runners in action this weekend was Doireann Ni Fhlatharta who despite have an off day was still good enough to hold onto 10th in the under 14 800m.
We ended the day as we started bringing some shine to our outing at a dull Tullamore venue, as the ever reliable Tadhg O Muircheartaigh was on duty for the under 14 javelin competition. Under the supervision of coach Bart Rodgers Tadhg braved the elements and was very impressive as he broke the championship best performance with a 44m plus throw to earn gold. To add to this achievement, this hard working athlete was not 100% fit as he is carrying an injury, he now earns a well deserved rest.
A special mention for Thomas Thornton, another of our athletes who would have been one of the favourites for silverware, like Ross his moment in the spotlight was hi-jacked by a late injury, we wish them both a speedy recovery.
Well done to all in action over the weekend, ye all performed with distinction and did us proud. Thanks to all coaches and those who travelled to support our young stars.
