Tallaght AC Medal Haul
(by Ray Fitzsimons)

Tallaght AC juvenile athletes travelled to the All Ireland Juvenile Even Aged Cross Country Championships which were staged at Fintra Bay in Killybegs at the weekend.

The races started with a long run on the beach and then up and over the sand dunes and consequently was hilly and testing. All races were very competitive with in excess of 120 runners in each.

Tallaght AC were on the podium after the first race of the day when their Girls U12 squad took the inter club bronze medal. Jade Corcoran led her team home with great place running from Catherine Power, Ciara O Leary, Roisin O Hanlon, Zara Gaynor and Kirsty Watson. This was a huge achievement by this squad and is the clubs first inter club medal winning performance in a Juvenile All Ireland Cross-country Championships for some years. Meantime, Frank Jones also made the long trip to Killybegs in the Boys U12 race and he will have enjoyed the experience.

Aisling Johnston had the club back on the podium when she stepped up a year to compete in the U14 race and her 7th placing secured her an individual bronze medal and silver Inter-County medal.
Rebecca Game, Aoibheann Tierney and Carla Fullam all ran well and these will put that experience to good use in the B championships in January.

Robert Fitzsimons also stepped up a year to compete in the U16 3000M and ran superbly despite a bad start to take an individual bronze medal, Inter- Provincial silver medal and Inter-county Gold medal. Anthony Lieghio will be well pleased with his national debut in this race and he was followed home by Luke Coleman, Mark Power, Sean Bolger and Shane Doody.

Bronagh O Hanlon ran a very game race in the U16 2000M following a bad start and was doing her best work at the finish of the race.
Our last competitor at Juvenile level was Orla Nugent who has only recently returned to training and she acquitted herself very well when racing with the leaders for most of the way in the U18 3000M before finishing 18th.

At the same venue, Laura Mc Donnell competed in the All Ireland Novice Cross Country Championships and her performance deservedly won her an Inter-county silver medal.

A special thank you must go to Colette Fitzsimons and Emer O Hanlon who did all the cooking and took care of the athletes in Killybegs. Thanks also to Bronwyn Corcoran, Val Gaynor and Elizabeth Jones who also made the long journey and helped out with the athletes.


The club will now start preparations for the All Ireland Juvenile "B" Cross Country Championships which will be held in Athlone in January and at Senior Level we will compete in the AAI Indoor Games in Nenagh.

The club would like to wish all its members and supporters a Happy Christmas and successful New Year. A special thank you must go to Colette Fitzsimons and Emer O Hanlon who did all the cooking and took care of the athletes in Killybegs