U9-U12 National Championships
On Sunday, the All-Ireland Championships took place in Tullamore. On a day where the weather was ever-changing, the u11 pair of Poppy Shanahan and Annabelle Butler were first on the track in the 60m. Poppy faced a strong headwind in heat 1, but stormed down the track, winning her heat in 9.29. Annabelle followed in heat 2, where she finished 3rd in 9.32. When the results were added together, the girls finished 4th as a pair, narrowly missing out on a national podium.
Aisling Costigan and Caoimhe Quinlan were next up, competing in the girls u10 long jump. Aisling’s stellar PB jump of 3.67m was second overall in the competition and paired with Caoimhe’s super effort of 3.43m earned the pair a national silver medal. A great end to a fantastic season for these super young athletes.
Finally, it was the turn of the relays. First up were the experienced girls u12 team of Meadhbh Hall, Annie Ely, Órlaith Costigan, Lily Murphy and Faye Corbett. The girls had a super run, finishing in a new PB of 59.63s. They were followed by the girls u11 team of Grace Cantwell, Annabelle Butler, Aoibheann Doyle, Poppy Shanahan, Daisy Lyons and Saoirse Dunphy. Just as they lined out on the track the rain hit and the girls battled the conditions as well as the competition as they sped around the track. Flawless handovers and super running saw the girls storm around the track in astounding 59.33s, convincingly winning heat . They anxiously watched heat 2 before being declared National Championships. Congratulations girls!