Once again Jack Garvey has been to the fore after he ran a superb tactical race to place second in the U16 7,000m at the All-Ireland Community Games finals.
Taking on the challenging grounds of Gormanston Castle, Jack’s performance was nothing short of outstanding – and just a few days later he proved his versatility and endurance once again by competing in the Boys 1500m steeplechase at the All-Ireland Schools Championships, where his remarkable run earned him another silver medal and highlighted his true talent and passion for the sport.
Ryan McMahon also shone at the All-Ireland Schools Championships with a mighty strong run in the 100m race. In a thrilling photo finish he placed fourth overall, demonstrating his speed and competitiveness, and there’s more to come from this young athlete.
Elsewhere, the Leinster Athletics Championships kicked off on Sunday with a thrilling day of competition for the U12 and U13 age groups.
Boyne AC had more than a dozen entries, with many young athletes competing for the first time and gaining invaluable experience.
Coach Keith Byrne was on hand as usual, putting all the athletes through their warm-up exercises and keeping them calm.
First up, Stella Gow and Folasade Chloe Bello Osagie both produced outstanding performances. The girls easily won their heats and qualified for the final where Stella set a new personal best of 11.17sec and Folasade also achieved a PB of 10.78.
Despite their excellent times and strong efforts, the competition was fierce and they were just shy of medaling.
The Leinster Championships in Tullamore saw more standout performances from Boyne AC’s young athletes, continuing their impressive form.
Heather Kingston competed for the first time and set a new long jump personal best with 2.47m, an excellent debut showing great promise for her future in the sport.
Conor Hughes proved his versatility by competing in both the Boys U10 600m and the 60m.
In the 600m he finished sixth overall with a fantastic time of 1:48, while in the sprint he went one better, finishing fifth in Leinster with a new PB of 10.97sec.
Jessica McMahon excelled in two events. In the long jump she set a new personal best and narrowly missed out on a medal in a very competitive field, while in the 60m sprint she gave it her all and set another PB of 10.12sec, missing the podium by a millisecond.
James Byrne ran a fantastic 600m race. He stayed with the leaders throughout and finished in a respectable sixth place with a new PB of 2:09.
Harry Kingston competed in the 2kg shot put. With a fantastic throw of 5.07m he remained in contention throughout the competition but was narrowly knocked out of the medals in the final round.
Cillian Hickey had an outstanding run in the Boys U12 60m, easily qualifying from his heat with a solid performance.
In the semis he ran a time of 9.05sec, securing his place in the final, and in that final he set a personal best of 9.00sec, finishing fifth in a thrilling photo finish.
Will Gow delivered an amazing tactical run in the U12 600m, having sailed through his heat to advance straight to the final.
In the final, he produced a brilliant performance, staying on the tail of the leaders and demonstrating true heart.
Although he didn’t medal in the end, Will set a new personal best of 1:51, promising even more impressive performances in the future.
Aoife McCabe was the final competitor for Boyne AC in the U12 Girls events, delivering commendable performances in both the 60m and 600m.
In the 60m sprint Aoife ran her heat in a new personal best time of 9.56sec, but despite this impressive effort she was unlucky not to advance to the final.
In the 600m race she demonstrated remarkable endurance and speed, finishing in an outstanding time of 1:57, but sadly missed out on a podium finish by mere milliseconds.