Sunday 8th May saw our older Juveniles and F4Y groups head to Navan for their Meath T&F Championships.  After the great performances from their younger club mates in the Championships the previous Wednesday, the pressure was on the older gang to deliver the goods.  And deliver they did!  The sun wasn’t the only thing to shine on Sunday, as Dunboyne AC athletes delivered performance after performance throughout the day.

The youngest group competing on Sunday were the under 12’s.  The girls represented by Aideen Reilly, Serena Gavin, Laura Gavin, Sophie Dolan, Kate Stewart, Sinead Magee and Aleah Kelly, did themselves and their club proud.  As did the under 12 boys who were represented by Sean Crehan, Samuel Kilbey Batty, Charlie Manning and Adam Vaughan.

Aideen Reilly medalled on the double with silver in the 60m and silver again in the Long jump.  This was very consistent from Aideen who continues to display a really high level of performance time and time again.  Also in the 60m Sinead Magee ran brilliantly to just fail to snatch bronze in a very close run race.  4th place here was a fantastic run from her and illustrates the rapid progress she is making.    Kate Stewart ran a good heat and was unfortunate not to make the final.  Joining Aideen and Sinead in the 60m final were Sophie Dolan and Serena Gavin who both ran their hearts out and finished just outside the medals this time.

Accompanying Aideen in the Long Jump were Sinead Magee, Laura Gavin, Serena Gavin, Aleah Kelly and Kate Stewart.  All the girls jumped really well and showed good improvement here.    In the 600m Aleah Kelly, Laura Gavin and Sophie Dolan lined up.  The three girls ran good races with Aleah being very positive from the gun and finishing off a very strong run with a well-deserved Silver medal.  Laura also started very fast, went out aggressively and very bravely went for it throughout.  She was in a medal position until the last 80 meters where she just missed out on a medal after a really gutsy run.  Sophie came through later in her race having started a little more conservatively but finished really strongly to join Aleah on the podium with a Bronze medal.

Our under 12 boys were first in action in the shot putt competition.  Charlie Manning was in determined mood and threw really well.  Well enough to earn a silver medal at the end of the competition, which was a fantastic performance from Charlie.  The 60m saw Charlie line up again alongside club mates Sean Crehan, Samuel Kilbey Batty and Adam Vaughan.  All the boys ran really well here with all of them showing good signs of improvement.  Sean, Samuel and Charlie then moved to the Long Jump pit and jumped really well in a tough Long Jump competition and finished outsider the medals this time.  Adam was our sole representative in the 600m and started strongly until late in the race where, after fading slightly, he battled to the line to finish just outside the medals.  Overall the under 12 boys put in a good showing on the day and should be proud of their performances.

As usual the 13 girls were here in force and meant business.   The under 13 category in Meath is incredibly competitive with good strength in depth across all the various events in the county.  Kate Griffin, Rachel Norman, Ruby McFeat, Aoife McCormack, Lucy Eglington, Loreana Harrison, Kayla Ryan, Holly Conlon, Kirsten Kelly Moody and Derval McNicolas were all primed to perform to their best.   Lucy Eglington, Ruby McFeat, Loreana Harrison, Kayla Ryan, Kirsten Kelly Moody and Derval McNicolas all lined up for the 60m.  Ruby, who has been running very well of late, was unlucky in her heat and lost her chance with a slip coming out of the blocks.  Lucy was also unlucky, as she finished 3rd her heat.  It looked a very strong heat and she was very unlucky not to progress to the final.

Kirsten also ran well but didn’t make the final but it was good experience and performance in what was her first Meath Championship.  Derval, Kayla and Loreanna all ran very well in their heats and it was a good achievement to get all 3 girls through to the final.  In an incredibly fast final with a very tight finish, Loreana ran a great race to finish in the silver medal position.  Derval and Kayla both ran really well but leas then ideal starts definitely contributed to both of them just missing out on a medal here.  Their day will definitely come.

While the 60m was on-going, Aoife McCormack was our sole representative in the Shot Putt competition. In just her second time competing in this event she was very competitive and finished in a strong 4th place.  Aoife was out again in the high jump and was joined by Kate Griffin and Lucy Eglington.  Some good jumps from the girls wasn’t enough to get amongst the medals here but it was a good experience in an event that is still relatively new to them.

Ruby was our competitor in the Javelin and competed well here.  Again this is a new event for her but she showed great talent and will improve as she gains more experience in the event.  Ruby completed her third event in the Long Jump and she was joined here by Rachel Norman, Loreanna Harrison, Holly Conlon, Kirsten Moody and Derval McNicolas.  All the girls jumped well here and Dunboyne AC were well to the fore with a Gold and Silver medal won.  Rachel won the competition and regained the title she won 2 years ago.  Loreana kept the pressure on her all the way and finished a close second which represented a great performance from both girls.

The 600m was the final event for our under 13 girls and Kate Griffin, Rachel Norman, Kayla Ryan and Holly Conlon all lined up.  Kayla immediately went to the front and set a very fast pace which she held all the way to the line to win an impressive Gold.  Rachel battled hard all the way and finished just outside the medals in 4th, while Kate and Holly finished just behind.  All the girls ran well here and should be proud of their runs.

In contrast to the girls, Dunboyne AC had just two under 13 boys competing on the day. Not to be outdone however the boys put in some very impressive performances.  In the 60m Pablo Mendoza, competing in a championship for the first time, emerged from his heat and progressed impressively into the final with a strong run.  In the final another strong run ensured Pablo left Navan with a bronze medal in his pocket.  Very impressive running from him considering he has only been with the club a short time and will only improve.  Both Pablo and Ross also competed in the Long Jump and both jumped really well.  Pablo, again a novice here, finished in a brilliant 4th place while Ross went one better and grabbed a well-deserved bronze.  Finally, Ross lined up for the 600m and was very positive straight from the gun.  He took up the running after 250 meters and quickly put the race to bed winning gold impressively.

We had three Under 14 girls competing in Navan last Sunday.  Katie Greene, Chloe Frazer and Abigail Knox were all wearing the blue and white on the day.  Abigail had an early start in the High Jump competition but it didn’t bother her as she jumped to a silver medal.  Chloe and Katie both lined up for the 800m and Chloe went into the lead early in the two lap race.  A strong run from Chloe saw her hold a nice lead which she held all the way to win an impressive Gold medal.   Just behind Chloe, Katie Greene was involved in a titanic battle from 300m out.  Katie, full of guts and determination simply refused to let 2nd place go and for the last 300m duelled with the other athlete as both of them tried to shake each other off.  Neck and neck all the way to the line, nothing could separate them at the finish and Katie bravely held on for a well-deserved and hard earned silver medal in what was one of the bravest runs of the day.

Brothers Conor and Marc Leane were our under 14 boy’s representatives on Sunday.  Conor was impressive in winning the 800m, leading early and controlling the race throughout.  Despite having to be convinced to run the 1500m he also impressively took gold here with a very strong run.  Marc ran in the 80m and finished in the sliver medal position after a good run.  He went one better in the 200m when, after a fast start which saw him quickly make up the stagger on the lane outside, he held his form down the straight to impressively win the gold medal.  In the long jump Mark again lined up for Dunboyne and jumped very well to finish silver.  5 medals for the Leane brothers represented a good day at the office for them.

Dunboyne AC had 5 under 15 Girls in action.  Kate Reilly, Bonnie McFeat, Nicole Frazer, Anna Griffin, Sarah Magee and Victoria Knox wore the blue and white with distinction on Sunday.  Victoria, like her younger sister Abigail, also had an early start in the High Jump and also took home a medal in this event.  A bronze was her reward for some good jumping here.  Victoria was joined by Kate Reilly and Anna Griffin in the 200m event where they were involved in the finish after very strong runs.  Victoria picked up a well-deserved Silver with Kate grabbing 3rd to earn herself an equally well deserved bronze medal and Anna also running well, just failing to get amongst the medals this time.    Anna was also on Long Jump duty and she jumped well throughout her series.  In the 800m Bonnie McFeat, Nicole Frazer, Anna Griffin and Sarah Magee lined up for Dunboyne AC.  Nicole went out strong and led all the way to the line to win an impressive Gold, matching younger sister Chloe’s performance earlier in the day.   In a competitive race Bonnie, Anna and Sarah all battled hard throughout and finished just outside the medals this time.  Kate, Bonnie, Sarah and Nicole were all out again in the 1500m where Nicole triumphed again after a strong performance.  Kate battled hard throughout and in keeping with the sibling theme of the day, bagged her second medal with a hard earned bronze, matching younger sister Aideen’s medal haul.  Sarah and Bonnie both ran well and battling all the way to the line, finished outside the medals this time.

Three under 15 boys went into battle for Dunboyne AC on Sunday.  Jack Hayes competed in the 80m, 200m and High Jump.  After good runs in the 80m and 200m without medalling, Jack got his reward with a really good performance in the High Jump, finishing 3rd and getting on the podium to receive a bronze medal.  Philip Thornton’s focus was purely on Shot Putt and he did the business by claiming a Gold medal here.  Adam Conlon completed the under 15 representatives and he kept their hit rate up by wining gold in his 800m event.  A fantastic performance from this talented group.

Our under 17’s boys were represented by 3 talented athletes in Thomas Thornton (High Jump, 200m and Long Jump), Jack Nyhan (Shot Putt) and David White (800m and 1500m).  Thomas got the ball rolling with a fantastic double gold performance in Long Jump and 200m.  A very consistent Jack Nyhan delivered a gold medal in the Shot and David ran really well in both the 800 and 1500 and finished just outside the medals.

Two under 18’s competed on Sunday.  Beibhinn Ni Mhuircheartaigh competed in the javelin and Long Jump and Niall Bermingham was in action in the High Jump and Long Jump.  Beibhinn competed very well in both events and was unlucky not to medal this time.  Niall won gold after a competitive and exciting High Jump competition and was outside the medals in the Long Jump.

Overall it was an extremely successful day with over 40 athletes representing our club to great effect.  27 county medals made their way back to Dunboyne on Sunday evening which was a great achievement.  All athletes across all the ages performed extremely well on the day in all the events.  The coaches would like to thank them all for their efforts on the day and the work put in during the long hours training.  They should all be proud of their performances.   It was great to see the support all the athletes gave each other during the day as they cheered on their club-mates throughout.  The coaches would like to thank all the parents who supported us during the day and in particular we would like to give a big thanks to Stephen Griffin, Jane Kelly Moody and Deirdre McFeat who kindly volunteered to officiate throughout the day.  This is a huge help and much appreciated by the coaching team.  We ask more parents to volunteer to officiate throughout the season allowing the coaching team time to concentrate on preparing your little athletes.