The Athletics Louth cross country season saw it’s penultimate event take place on Friday evening last, with the ever popular juvenile relay races taking place in the grounds of Drogheda & District AC.
A dry but cold night saw 44 young athletes from Boyne AC take on their competitors from all over Louth, and what a fine job they all did.
The relays are always a great event in athletics, with teamwork the main focus in what is usually a more individual sport and with its ever-increasing membership, Boyne AC certainly made an impression, fielding 11 teams over all the age groups.
The u10 girls got things underway, setting the bar high, with a win for the talented foursome of Isabelle Winters, Hila Raji, Florrie Levins and Aoife McCabe. Not far behind, but just missing out on the medals, were the team of Ruby Cooper, Cara Fagan, Veronica Jhuboo and Ericka Archer.
The boys u10 were on the podium too as they took home a well-deserved bronze medal, having qualified for the final through heats due to the large number of teams entered on the night, a great result for Leyton Byrne, Cillian Hickey, Will Gow and Marco Ozolins.
The medals kept flying in, as the u12 girls team stormed to gold medal victory with speedy runs over the 400m distance from Dara Winters, Ava Hand, Bonnie Hegarty and Wannita McCabe, also having a great race were the team of Romane Njuguna, Robyn Reilly, Melania Brokane and Ellie Russell.
The u12 boys team of Keilan Byrne, Vadim Krasnakov, Louis Devitt and Riley Byrne were unlucky to just miss out on a medal, finishing in a fine 4th overall, with the quartet of Eoin McEntee, Ruadhan Fangerau, Thomas Collins and Ronin Cowley finishing just behind.
Under 16 boys winners Jack Devitt, Caoimhin McShane, Sean Cummins and Alex Devine.
Also crossing the line in an impressive 4th were the u14 girls team of Iveta Jasinskaite, Ally Fennell, Emma Winters and Rebecca Heading, with great running also from the team of Hannelle Raji, Aimee Rice, Mikeala Vancane and Grace Matthews.
It was back onto the podium for the boys u14 team, as they scooped the bronze medal in a tough race, thanks to fine runs from Harry Devitt, Callum Reilly, Jay Doherty and Harry Bell.
Topping off a great evening, it was a super gold for the u16 boys’ team, who worked hard to secure the victory, thanks to strong runs from Jack Devitt, Caoimhin McShane, Sean Cummins and Alex Devine.
A fitting end to the local cross-country season for all these young athletes and their families, and a rewarding and proud night for the many hard working coaches in Boyne AC.
