Months of hard work and dedication from the young athletes in Boyne AC bore fruit at the two-day All-Ireland Indoor Championships, held last weekend in Athlone.
All those competing had to gain qualification through their provincial championships, where a top three finish secured a coveted pace at the national final.
Mixing it up against the best in the country, the talent on display across both days certainly indicates a bright future for the many talented young athletes in action.
First to the challenge for Boyne was thrower Oliver Carolan in the u15 boys Shot Put, who having won silver at the Leinster Championships, faced a tough battle against 12 competitors from across the island.
Oliver Carolan came third in the All-Ireland u15 Shot Put.
With three throws each in the first round of competition, and then only the top 8 given another 3 throws for the final round, Oliver was in a nerve wracking 4th position overall as the young men took their final two throws.
A PB throw of 12.36m was enough to leapfrog into 3rd place, and with a final throw of 12.83m, the bronze medal was in the bag, a great result for this talented young man.
It was then time for the short sprints, with five Boyne AC athletes having all qualified top 3 in the Leinster Championships. Nina King Abor was first to the 60m track, and a 7.75s sprint saw her win heat 1 of the event, and easy qualification for the final, where, despite a quicker time, she was just pipped at the line, taking second place by a mere one thousandth of a second.
The boys u17 heats saw Alex Devine run 7.41s to qualify for the final, but unfortunately he sustained an injury and was unable to compete further. The boys u18 60m heats were a tough battle, but Sean Stratton and Adam Byrne both ran super quick times to ensure qualification for the final, where Stratton was unlucky to just miss out on a medal finishing in 4th place, while Byrne was close behind in 7th, outstanding achievements from these young men, against the finest sprinters in Ireland.
The final race of the day saw Leon King Abor take an easy win in his heat of the 60m, and in the final ran a lightning fast 7.04s, enough to secure the silver medal.
After a long day on Saturday, it was back to Athlone on Sunday for day two, whenthe sprinters were back in action in the 200m races.
Stratton got things off to a flying start as he took a comfortable win in his heat of the u18 boys race, while in the final it was yet another tough battle to the line, where he finished in 4th place, just out of the medals.
In the u19 boys race it was another easy qualification for the final for Leon King Abor, with a 22.55s run, and with just a short rest it was back on the track for the final, where he knocked yet more time off his speedy run, to cross the line in first place in a time of 22.44, crowning him National Indoor u19 200m Champion!
Competing in her first National Indoor Championship, Dara Ellie Winters ran a strong race to finish 8th overall in the girls u13 600m, a great result at such a high level of competition.
Hannelle Raji was also making her National Indoor debut having won silver in the Leinster U14 Shot put, and in a very competitive final, she made it through to top 8, finishing in 8th position overall, another great achievement for this young lady at just the start of her athletics journey.
Attention now turns to the All-Ireland relays which are due to take place in April to round off the Indoor season, where Boyne AC are hopeful of yet another medal winning performance from the boys u19 team of Leon King Abor, Sean Stratton, Adam Byrne and Cathal Monaghan.
