Athletics Ireland have this week confirmed that the club’s girls team has been selected to represent Ireland in the 2019 European U20 Track & Field Championships. The club were selected based on the fantastic performances from our U17 to U20 athletes at the recent National Junior Championships in Tullamore.

It’s a major achievement for the club to get a squad of athletes to this level and to have the honour of representing Ireland in a major European event.

You can check out the European website for more information on this year’s event which will be held in Leiria, Portugal in September. There is quite a lot of useful information there, particularly in the regulations link.The event has been held in the same location the last few years so most likely that is where we will be heading in September next year.

All of next year’s U17 to U20 athletes will be eligible for selection and we can bring a squad of 20 athletes and 6 officials. The officials will include as joint team captains this year’s U20s who unfortunately will be overage next year for the European event (Aisling, Caron, Dearbhaile) – but we have super strength in the current years U16s too who will be part of the squad going to the Europeans next year.

And its an event that the club could realistically qualify for each year in both girls and boys teams with such strength coming through each year in each age group. The athletes who led the club to this level at the recent Irish Junior Championships include the following. A few of the squad were missing on the day due to holidays and work commitments but hopefully all will be available for the European Championships in 2019 as well as this year’s U16s.

• U20s
  • Aisling Keady (shot putt, high jump, weight for distance, 4x100m)
  • Caron Ryan (5000m)
• U19s
  • Laura Cunningham (shot putt, high jump, long jump, javelin, triple jump, 4x100m)
  • Ciana Reidy (pole vault, high jump, discus, 4x400m)
  • Lorraine Delaney (triple jump, 400m hurdles, 4x400m)
  • Shauna Tobin (javelin, discus, 4x400m)
  • Arlene Earls (800m, 4x400m)
• U17s
  
  • Chloe Casey (shot putt, discus, 4x100m)
  • Freya Bohan (javelin, 4x100m)
  • Ailbhe Miskella (3000m s/c)

I will set up a meeting very shortly to provide more information to the squad and so that athletes and parents can ask questions and in the meantime any parents with questions should contact me at 087 6591879.