Lucozade National Juvenile Athletics Championships 
(by Ray Fitzsimons)

Tallaght athletic club juvenile athletes competed in the first weekend activities of the Lucozade National Juvenile Athletics Championships in Tullamore last weekend.

Saturday was confined to the relay events and pride of place goes to the Boys U17 4x100M team of Johnathan Smith, Chris Healy, Darren Byrne and Shane Doody who combined well to take a silver medal. The Boys U18 team of Jeffrey Sheridan, Ger Purcell, Derek Ricthie and Roy Murray meanwhile just finished out of the medals in 4th place in the 4x100M and 4X400M finals.

On Sunday it was the turn of the clubs youngest athletes to compete in the track and field program. Ciara Henry, Lauren Power and Carol Jones and three other Dublin Athletes had qualified to represent Dublin against the top six athletes from the provinces of Leinster, Ulster, Connacht and Munster. And so a select field of 30 children would compete against each other over three events - 60M sprint, Long Jump and Ball Throw in the National Childrens Awards competition. The three girls did superbly well with Ciara Henry finishing best of the Dublin contingent taking a silver award while Carol Jones and Lauren Power both won a bronze award.

In the field events it was Aisling Johnston who stole the show when she finished 2nd in the U13 Javelin Final with a throw of 22.81M and also took the bronze medal in the U13 Ball Throw. Thomas Murray also made the final cut in the Boys U13 Ball Throw with a seasons best performance throw of 43.79M.

Another hectic weekend lies ahead with the clubs 14-19 year old athletes competing in next weeks National Finals and Tallaght will be well represented with some 17 athletes taking part.

Coach Ray looking on at the races