1.
It is hard to believe that 2024 is waving us goodbye already. Week after week, the athletics accolades kept accumulating. In a blink it’s the end of the year and plans are already being made with athletes for their 2025 indoor, track and cross-country season. From county championships right up to international representation the athletes young and old have brought an endless amount of delight to all those who support them. The narrative which was reported in the Kilkenny People throughout the year represents only a fraction of what is involved in the world of athletics. But it remains an important narrative to remind the entire public of the achievements of our athletes and will in years to come be historical proof of their superb performances. The volunteers in the sport - coaches and administrators - give endless hours of their time to athletic development, nurturing future champions. Kilkenny athletics is represented on the international stage too. This year eight athletes across various clubs donned the Irish vest, some for the first time. International Kickstarting the year, David Williams and Cathal O’Reilly competed in the Celtic International in Scotland. Williams was fourth in the under-20 event and a scoring member of the winning Irish team. O’Reilly was fourth under-23 and a scoring member of the Irish team that finished second. In February the European Club Cross-Country Championships were held in Albufeira, Portugal. The Kilkenny City Harriers (KCH) women’s team finished in 10th place while the senior men’s team came home in 17th place. March saw Robert Coogan (KCH) make his international debut at the SIAB Cross-Country in Dublin. He finished 16th in the junior boys’ race. In Paris, Mary Fitzgerald (Gowran) made her second Paralympic appearance following on from her debut in Tokyo in 2021. The Callan native secured eighth place in the T40 shot-put. There were European debuts for Peter Lynch, Pia Langton and Molly Daly in 2024. In Rome, which proved to be an excellent Europeans for
2.
It is hard to believe that 2024 is waving us goodbye already. Week after week, the athletics accolades kept accumulating. In a blink it’s the end of the year and plans are already being made with athletes for their 2025 indoor, track and cross-country season. From county championships right up to international representation the athletes young and old have brought an endless amount of delight to all those who support them. The narrative which was reported in the Kilkenny People throughout the year represents only a fraction of what is involved in the world of athletics. But it remains an important narrative to remind the entire public of the achievements of our athletes and will in years to come be historical proof of their superb performances. The volunteers in the sport - coaches and administrators - give endless hours of their time to athletic development, nurturing future champions. Kilkenny athletics is represented on the international stage too. This year eight athletes across various clubs donned the Irish vest, some for the first time. International Kickstarting the year, David Williams and Cathal O’Reilly competed in the Celtic International in Scotland. Williams was fourth in the under-20 event and a scoring member of the winning Irish team. O’Reilly was fourth under-23 and a scoring member of the Irish team that finished second. In February the European Club Cross-Country Championships were held in Albufeira, Portugal. The Kilkenny City Harriers (KCH) women’s team finished in 10th place while the senior men’s team came home in 17th place. March saw Robert Coogan (KCH) make his international debut at the SIAB Cross-Country in Dublin. He finished 16th in the junior boys’ race. In Paris, Mary Fitzgerald (Gowran) made her second Paralympic appearance following on from her debut in Tokyo in 2021. The Callan native secured eighth place in the T40 shot-put. There were European debuts for Peter Lynch, Pia Langton and Molly Daly in 2024. In Rome, which proved to be an excellent Europeans for
3.
It is hard to believe that 2024 is waving us goodbye already. Week after week, the athletics accolades kept accumulating. In a blink it’s the end of the year and plans are already being made with athletes for their 2025 indoor, track and cross-country season. From county championships right up to international representation the athletes young and old have brought an endless amount of delight to all those who support them. The narrative which was reported in the Kilkenny People throughout the year represents only a fraction of what is involved in the world of athletics. But it remains an important narrative to remind the entire public of the achievements of our athletes and will in years to come be historical proof of their superb performances. The volunteers in the sport - coaches and administrators - give endless hours of their time to athletic development, nurturing future champions. Kilkenny athletics is represented on the international stage too. This year eight athletes across various clubs donned the Irish vest, some for the first time. International Kickstarting the year, David Williams and Cathal O’Reilly competed in the Celtic International in Scotland. Williams was fourth in the under-20 event and a scoring member of the winning Irish team. O’Reilly was fourth under-23 and a scoring member of the Irish team that finished second. In February the European Club Cross-Country Championships were held in Albufeira, Portugal. The Kilkenny City Harriers (KCH) women’s team finished in 10th place while the senior men’s team came home in 17th place. March saw Robert Coogan (KCH) make his international debut at the SIAB Cross-Country in Dublin. He finished 16th in the junior boys’ race. In Paris, Mary Fitzgerald (Gowran) made her second Paralympic appearance following on from her debut in Tokyo in 2021. The Callan native secured eighth place in the T40 shot-put. There were European debuts for Peter Lynch, Pia Langton and Molly Daly in 2024. In Rome, which proved to be an excellent Europeans for