National Qualification for Juveniles

Many of our juveniles qualified for the National Even age Cross Country Championships at Santry Demesne Park last Sunday after some outstanding individual and team performances.

In his first Cross Country Championships Mustaffe Nasir ran out a comfortable winner to take the U14 title after completing the tough 3000m course, and combined with individual medalists Sean Flanagan and Cathal Dervan who was stepping up a year and Mustaffe’s younger brother Sadiq and Paul Lyons they won the team silver medals, whilst in the girls equivalent both Kayleigh Clarke and Aloisa King ran well but unfortunately didn’t make the cut

In the U12 2000m contest, Seamus Noone out sprinted club colleague Christopher Duffy to take the bronze medal and combined with Nazim Kourrini and Jack Cleary they won the team bronze medals.

In the girls U12 Grace Dervan had a fantastic run to take the individual bronze and combined with Nadine Johnston Hickey who won the penultimate individual medal, Eve Keegan, who stepped up a year, Alan Walsh and Claudia Kavanagh they too won the team bronze medals.

Conor Murray was another to win an individual medal after he finished 8th in the U16 4000m contest and was followed home by Joseph Lyons who despite giving conceding a year to most of the other runners was unlucky to finish one place outside of the medals and automatic qualification for the Nationals after he finished 13th, whilst in the girls equivalent Jade Johnston found the going tough finally crossing the line in 17th.

Although the U10’s were a Dublin only Championships our youngsters did very well with Yanaengus Geraghty winning the individual bronze after a very close finish of the 1000m contest and he was followed home by Moses Ikepfua who despite stepping up in age took the 6th individual medal, and both combined with John Lyons, Jordan Bracken, Nathan White and Eoghan Mc Evoy won the team bronze medals.

In the U10 girls contest Faye Dervan won an individual medal after she finished 4th and although the other team members Lauryn Mc Dermott, Emma Gaffney, Sophia Kourrini and Aisling Mc Guiness ran very well they unfortunately finished just outside the medals in 4th.
 

The U12 and U14 teams and individual medalists Conor Murray will be looking forward to the National Championships in Sligo on 27th of November. In the meantime, there will be a substantial number of Tallaght juveniles vying for medals and National qualification on Sunday next when they contest the Dublin Uneven age Championships in Marlay Park.