Boyne AC athletes shine as Leinster Indoor Championships return

The long awaited Leinster Indoor Championships 2022 got underway on February 5th, with an action packed weekend for more than 1,200 athletes taking part from across the province. 

Boyne AC had 15 athletes competing across the two-day event, with outstanding performances from each and every one. 

Held in the impressive surrounds of Athlone IT Indoor arena, the capacity crowd and the well planned schedule made for an exciting weekend, with everyone delighted to get back to competitive action once again. 

First to compete for Boyne AC on day 1 was Hannele Raji, who got proceedings off to a great start with a 2nd place finish in the u14 girls shot put, where a fine throw of 9.17m was enough to secure the silver in a tough field of 16 athletes.

Hannele also qualified for the semi-finals of the 60m sprint, where she was unlucky not to qualify for the final. 

The boys u15 were next to the track, where Oliver Carolan and Ledley King Abor both finished top 3 in their heats to progress to the final, with Ledley finishing just outside the medals in 4th place.  

Making his debut in any competitive athletic event, TJ Dauramanxi stunned the crowd as he finished first in is heat of the u16 60m sprint, running 7.67, and in the final, took this down to 7.57, to take silver, a mere thousandth of a second behind first place who finished in 7.56, this is certainly one young athlete to watch out for. 

Also competing in her first Leinster competition, Hannah Newman showed no sign of nerves as she took part in the u17 long jump, competing well in a tough event. In the u17 girls 60m, it was an easy win in the heats for Nina King Abor, who then went on to clinch the gold medal in the final, crossing the line in a super 7.81s. 

The medals came thick and fast as Alex Devine started his indoor campaign with a fine win in the u17 boys 60m sprint, a great return to form for this young man following a break over recent years. 

In the u18 boys 60m, it was yet another gold for Sean Stratton, who ran a speedy 7.13 in the final to take the top spot, while Adam Byrne proved his consistent hard training is paying off as he too qualified for the final, and ran an impressive 7.44 to take the bronze medal. In the u19 boys 60m, it was another gold for Boyne AC, with Leon King Abor once again claiming the top spot on the podium, with a super run of 7.11s. With day 1 over, late in the evening there were some tired, but happy faces heading home to rest for day two. 

Sunday saw 10 Boyne AC athletes in action, with many making their debut at this competitive level. In the u12 600m race, Ava Hand and Ellen Boylan both ran well in their first indoor competition, with Ava also competing well in the u12 Long Jump. In the u13 boys 600m, Cillian Everitt gave it his all in a gruelling race, and he also competed well in the u13 shot put.  

Wannita McCabe ran a great race in her heat of the u13 600m, and was unlucky not to qualify for the final. Hannele Raji was back in action on day 2, in the u14 long jump, where a tough competition saw her finish in 11th overall. Oliver Carolan was back in familiar territory as he contested the u15 shot put, where a throw of 11.09 secured him the silver medal.  

Back on the track, it was yet another fantastic victory for Alex Devine, as he made it a double, with a win in the u17 200ms, to add to his gold from the 60ms. In the u18 boys 200ms, both Sean Stratton and Adam Byrne qualified for their final, with Sean just pipped at the finish line, taking second place, and Adam just outside the medals finishing in 4th. Leon King Abor made sure of his double gold for the weekend, as he ran a super 22.72s to win his 200m sprint final.  

With the excitement of the day mounting, and with barely a voice left between all the spectators, there was one more race to come for Boyne AC, with Dara Ellie Winters taking on the final of the u13 600ms. 

Having qualified fastest overall with a blistering time of 1.48.68, this talented young lady literally ran away with the win in her final, crossing the finish line in1.45.78, a full 2 seconds ahead of second place. 

This determined athlete is continuing to go from strength to strength and is surely set for a bright future ahead in athletics and mid distance running. All athletes who finished top 3 in their events now qualify for the All Ireland Indoors, due to take place in March.