Congratulations to Emma McEvoy on her gold medal win in the U.23 National Cross Country Championships, and to Sean Quinn on taking Bronze in the Junior Men's race in Irvinestown yesterday. A comprehensive report below from Rob Corbally on the course:
The combination of mud, hills and fast running provided an ideal course for both spectators and athletes at the national cross country championships in Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh. DSD's first individual success came in the Junior men's event where Seán Quinn slotted into the lead group from early on and made a brave effort for gold, surging ahead on the last lap. Jonas Stafford from UCD went with Seán and pushed on in the closing stages to take the win, and a stumble from Seán just before the line meant that he had to settle for Bronze in the end, while also earning himself selection for the Irish junior team for the upcoming European Cross Country Championships in Turkey. Jamie Byrne, returning from injury, pulled out a top-quality performance working through the field to finish 12th. The team also picked up bronze medals, finishing 3rd overall, with Seán and Jamie being supported by Seán McMahon (32nd) and Andrew McGilton (75th) as the two other scoring athletes.The senior men's team suffered a number of last-minute withdrawals due to injury and only 4 made it to the start line on the day. Éanna Ó Brádaigh ran a superb race against an extremely competitive field, finishing 19th overall (and 7th u23). Killian Mooney finished 60th and DSD stalwart John Eves ran yet another nationals, finishing 71st. David Gormley was the 4th scorer on the team, finishing 130th on the course which was just down the road from his hometown of Omagh.Despite missing a few key athletes, the senior women's team put in a strong performance to finish in 4th place, just outside the medals. Emma McEvoy timed her race to perfectly, working her way through the field to secure 8th place overall, and taking a convincing win the u23 category. The performance secured Emma's place on the Irish team for Europeans in December. Eimear Maher was next home, finishing 23rd overall and 9th u23. Returning to competition for DSD after a lengthy absence, Ella Fennelly put in a stellar performance to finish in 29th position. Maria McCambridge, still competing at senior level for DSD was the 4th scorer for the team, finishing 54th with Róisín O'Brien finishing 80th (and 25th u23).
Well done to all our competitors in action!
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