Laois athletics club shines on national stage at Irish University Championships
The club are also set to host the 50th edition of their Student Games
A number of St Abban’s Athletics Club's athletes represented their respective universities with distinction at the IUAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Santry over the weekend. With a focus on field events, athletes competed across Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault, Hammer, and Weight for Distance disciplines.
In the Women’s Long Jump, sisters Lucy and Grace Fitzgerald both performed strongly. Lucy, representing UCC, recorded a leap of 5.04m, while Grace, competing in UCD colours, jumped 4.35m. Lucy returned to action in the Triple Jump and delivered an impressive performance, her best mark of 11.21m securing a bronze medal for UCC. Katie Baldwin of DCU was also in the mix, finishing just outside the medals in 5th place with a jump of 10.27m.
UCD’s Aoibheann McDonald earned silver in the Women’s Pole Vault with a vault of 2.85m, adding to St Abban’s medal haul. In the throws, Ger Kelly was in fine form in the Hammer, throwing a new personal best of 43.90m to finish 5th. He improved further in the Men’s Weight for Distance, finishing 4th with a throw of 7.56m while representing SETU.
50th Annual Student Games Set for Good Friday
St Abban’s AC is preparing to host the 50th Annual Student Games on Good Friday, April 18 at 5pm in Monavea. One of the longest-running school competitions in the county, the Games give young athletes the chance to represent their schools across sprint, distance, throws, and jumping events.
Athletes can compete in age groups from U7 to U15, covering children born between 2011 and 2019. Killeshin traditionally dominated the competition, but in recent years, a reorganisation of teams has led to greater variety in champions. A large crowd is expected to mark the golden jubilee of this popular event.
St Abban’s juvenile athletes had further reason to celebrate on Sunday, as they were crowned Best Overall Club at the Ferrybank Open Sports. Each athlete’s efforts contributed to the overall points tally, and the club was thrilled to take home top honours. The club now looks forward to welcoming teams to their own Open Sports event on the May Bank Holiday Monday.