Juvenile News 24 October 2022

6 Individual Medals for West Waterford Athletes @ Day1 of the Munster X Country

Day 1 of the Munster Cross Country championships under 10,12,14,16 and 18 were held on Sunday last in Riverstick Co. Cork. Very heavy rain fell in the days leading up to the championships so the lower part of the course was very soft and draining on the legs. This was one of the toughest courses our athletes have ever run over. Despite the dire weather warnings the day dawned bright and clear and the rain stayed off for the duration of the races. WWAC athletes were competitive in all the races and with medals for the top twelve, six WWAC athletes won individual medals Ellie Mae Doherty, Isabelle Gaffney, Noah Commins, Sarah Gaffney, Fia de Paor and Naoise MacMhurchadha.

Isabelle, Noah, Sarah, Fia, and Naoise will all represent Munster at the upcoming All Ireland Championship.

5^th place finish for Ellie Mae Doherty

The first race of the day was the girls under 10 run over 1000m . There was a big field in this event with almost 150 athletes taking part. Ellie Mae Doherty was quick off the mark and was always in contention for an individual medal and held on well in the tough conditions to finish 5^th. This was Ellie Mae’s first individual cross country medal and an improvement on her 13^th place last year. Leah Kiely was going well in the top half of the field and finished 67^th. Eile de Paor was the next home in 76^th and Sinead Houlihan 84^th  and Allanah Pope 102^nd  completed their first Munster championship event.

There was another big field in the boys under 10 and they started very fast.

Jarleth Hurney was first home for the club in 25^th place  followed by Tiernan Hogan  46^th . Colm O Múiri was next across the line in 63^rd  just ahead of Rian Flavin in 67^th and Seb Byrne completed the team in 107^th place.

Under 12 Girls just outside the medals

There were big field again in both the under 12 girls and boys races over 2000m. First home for West Waterford was Clodagh Lattimore in 82^nd place which was 10 places better than last year. Ruth Walsh and Amy Cosgrave who are both under 11 made it in to the top 100 finishing 94^th  and 96^th. Saoirse Kinsella also made it into the top 100 as she finished 98^th and Natalie Barry completed the team in 112^th.

In the boys race Fergus Donnolly put in a very strong individual performance to finish 41^st .  He was followed home by Conor McCarthy 78^th  and Peter Ahearne 95^rd  and Olan Devereaux 98^th made it in to the top 100. Not far behind was Mark McLoughlin 104^th   Charlie Curran 106^th  and Lochlann Hurney 115^th.

Bronze for Waterford Girls  Under 14 Team

The first medals for Waterford in the inter county competition came in the under 14 girls race where Waterford finished 3^rd. First West Waterford athlete home was Isabelle Gaffney who came with a strong sprint finish to move from 14^th  to 11^th and claim an individual medal. Sophie Beresford and Ellen Power  were both running in their first Munster Cross Country and put in strong performance to finish 35^th and 37^th. Both scored on the Waterford and won their first Munster medals and also qualified for the All Ireland.  Ciara Flavin was next home in 72^nd place just ahead of Luisne de Paor 78^th and it was close also between Suin Cunningham 86^th and Sarah Hallissey 88^th.  

Individual Silver for Noah Commins in Boys under 14 Race

West Waterford’s top finisher of the day was Noah Commins who finished 2^nd in the boys under 14 event. The race over 3000m was a tough test for all the athletes. Noah was in the leading group from the start and finished strongly to take the silver medal. Running only his second race with the club Oisin Whelan finished 45^th. Oisin took a tumble on one of the slippery downhill turns but showing great spirit he got back on his feet and finished the race.

Individual,Club and County Medals for Under 16 Girls

West Waterford’s strongest team was in the girls under 16 race with four of the group running together since they were under 9. Sarah Gaffney and Fia de Paor ran neck and neck for most of the race with Sarah just edging into 8^th on the run in but Fia was close behind in 9^th place. Aoife O’Donovan battled hard to finish 21^st and Ami Flavin stuck to the task to finish 33^rd.  They were well backed up by Lauren Cliffe 35^th and Sarah O’Riordan 36^th. The team took the bronze medals in a very tight contest with only six points separating the three teams.

Waterford were also 3^rd in the inter county contest with Sarah, Fia, Aoife and Ami all scoring on the Waterford team.

First Individual Medal for Naoise in Boys under 16

As they moved up the age groups the distance got longer and the athletes were really tested by the tough conditions.  Naoise Mac Mhurchadha was going to make sure of an individual medal this year having just missed out by one place in his first Munster last year. With a year’s competition under his belt he ran a more canny race letting the leading bunch go and settling in the second group. In a fast paced race he finished in 8^th place.

Our last two competitors in the girls under 18 made it into the top 30 with Grainne Moore finishing 26^th and Angelina Chizhikova just two points behind in 28^th .

Well done to all our athletes and parents who travelled on the day and a huge well done to all our athletes who completed such a tough course.

We now have eleven athletes through to the All Ireland in Donegal on Sunday Nov 30^th

Isabelle Gaffney, Sophie Beresford, Ellen Power,  Noah Commins,Sarah Gaffney, Fia de Paor,Aoife O’Donovan, Ami Flavin, Lauren Cliffe, Sarah O’Riordan and naoise Mac Mhurchadha.

 Elverys InterSport Tony’s League  up and Running

We are delighted that Elverys InterSport have come onboard again this year to sponsor our winter league. Week 1 and 2 have been run off and now the team competition starts in earnest on Wed 26^th . The teams will all be up on the board at training on Wed as well as the results of week 2. On Wed Nov 2^nd we will have training as usual but will not run a leg of the league as it is midterm.  Remember each week it is your own time you are trying to beat. Will anyone make it into the top ten times this year? All those who competed over the last two weeks will now be on a team. It is very important for the team race that everyone turns up each Wednesday as everyone contributes to the team score.

The West Waterford Juvenile Committee would like to extend sincere condolences to Anna Rochford and her family on the sad passing of her father Anthony last week. May Anthony rest in peace.