Irish athletes excelled at the 2017 Celtic Cross Country International hosted by Welsh Athletics on Sunday 22nd January. This event, organised in conjunction with the Cardiff leg of the British Athletics Cross Challenge, took place in the magnificent surrounds of Blackweir Fields, Bute Park in the centre of Cardiff city.
National Cross Country Champion Shona Heaslip led the Irish Senior Women home in 3rd place overall behind overall winner Jessica Judd, closely followed by Maria McCambridge, Una Britton and Sinead O’Connor to win the team competition ahead of Wales. The U23’s raced alongside the seniors and were led home by National U23 champion Bethanie Murray who took individual bronze in the Celtic match, and along with Elizabeth Carr, Sarah Fitzpatrick and Ciara Hewson, claimed silver medals in the Celtic team competition behind Scotland and ahead of Wales and Ulster & NI.
Eric Keogh had probably the best XC run of his career when leading the Irish senior men home in a race run by GB international Dewi Griffiths. Eric finished 10th overall in the British Cross Challenge and, with Conor Duffy, Mark Kirwan and Dara Chesser, led the Irish team to 2nd place. National U23 Champion Karl Fitzmaurice was first of the Irish U23’s home having raced shoulder to shoulder with Kevin Kelly for much of the 10,370m course, not far ahead of Patrick Chesser and Eoin Taggart. Ireland U23’s finished 2nd to Scotland in the team match and ahead of Wales and Ulster & NI.
Sarah Healy and Darragh McElhinney showed once more why they have talents to be nurtured by winning their respective U17 races with Amy Rose Farrell and Sophie Murphy 2nd and 3rd in the U20 women's. Fearghal Curtin was another to star by winning the Celtic international U20 race.
Team wise the U17 Girls were second while the U17 Boys, U20 Girls and U20 Boys all stood on top of the podium in first place.
For full results click HERE