Five Laois athletes qualify for World Under 18 Youth Cup

LAOIS will account for no less than five of the eight athletes representing Ireland in next month’s World Under 18 Youth Cup Mountain Running Championships in Slovakia following last Sunday’s national team trials in Tipperary.

The event, which was run in more than 22-degree heat on a tough 6.7km course, with 600m of a climb to the summit of Slievenamon and a fast 500m descent to the finish, saw four members of St. Michael’s Athletic Club make the cut for the Irish panel, including Riley Connolly, who finished runner-up to Finn Yore of West Muskerry AC.

Connolly’s clubmate, Sean McAuliffe took third place, with Fionn Buckley from Cork next across the line to complete the boys’ team for the World Championships.

It was an impressive performance by Connolly, who worked his way from fourth through to second over the opening kilometre and maintained that position to the end, while McAuliffe found himself fourth some 500m from the summit, but made up 80m to overtake into third place, finishing five seconds ahead of Buckley.

Portlaoise AC’s Katlyn Reddin led home the girls in Sunday’s trial, with St. Michael’s pair, Siobhán and Áine O’Loughlin following her home in second and third respectively ahead of the final qualifier, Faye O’Riordan from Cork.

Starting somewhat conservatively, Reddin made her way through to second place at the 4km mark, taking the lead after a further 500m and holding that to the finish.

Siobhán O’Loughlin can be well pleased with her performance, having been side-lined through injury for most of this year, while her younger sister, Áine enjoyed her best race in some time, despite suffering bad cramp in her calf 500m from the summit that forced her to hold on for third over the closing kilometre.

There were more strong displays recorded by St. Michael’s AC’s Cara Dooley, who, competing a year underage in this competition, took seventh in the girls event, and Tadhg O Comhairde, who in just his first mountain run this year, finished up eighth in the boys contest.

Katie McLoughlin of Oughaval AC was coming into these World Championship trials on the back of a very tough start to the year with injury.

Working her way back to make the line-up for last weekend, she was the lead girl at the 4km mark when the heat took its toll and she fainted. Fortunately, she was unhurt, but was unable to finish the race.

All five Laois athletes who made the cut for the national team have represented Ireland before at the British and Irish Mountain Running Championships, and they will be hoping to draw on that experience when they compete in Donovaly, Slovakia on Saturday, June 14th.

Sunday’s event was made up of athletes running an open race of 10km and Under 18 trial athletes competing over the initial 6.7km of that course.

There were more impressive runs by Laois athletes in the open contest, with Daniel McLoughlin of Oughaval AC second overall and Jack McMahon of Ballyroan Abbeyleix and District AC taking third.

Delighted with the performance of the county’s representatives, Laois Athletics Chairperson, Tom Dunne said: “It's wonderful to see athletes coming from Laois to produce great performances on the mountains.

“Congratulations to the five athletes who qualified, their coaches, and Portlaoise and St. Michael’s Athletic Clubs. They’re wonderful role models for their club and county and I wish them the best in the upcoming Youth Cup,” he added.

Owen Connolly, who coaches all Under 18 Laois athletes, was hugely pleased with their performance at the weekend, telling the ****Laois Nationalist*****: “I’m delighted for all the athletes who made it through. They all work really hard and this is going to be a massive experience for them.

“I’d say that was one of the toughest trials that they've done. It was a relentless uphill challenge, with about 600m of a climb all the way to the summit and then it turned around and it was about 500m then to the finish.

“And we’re lucky in a way, because the Youth Cup course is near enough the same kind of elevation, so it was a great test for the athletes,” he said.

Having secured their place on the Ireland squad for next month’s trip to Slovakia, the five Laois athletes will soon be turning their attention to their preparation for the global contest, which could well involve competing in the Leinster Under 20 Championships in early June.