2016 Celtic Games Cross Country Report

Edinburgh January 9th 2016

The National Juvenile Committee sent 4 teams to Edinburgh on the 9th Jan to compete in the Celtic Cross Country Competition which was televised by the BBC on the day.
The competition was held with the Great Edinburgh Cross Country which included teams from Europe, USA, Great Britian, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland .

Athletes such as Mo Farah, Garett Heath (USA) and Fionnuala McCormack took part in the competition over the same course as our under 17 athletes. The athletes were a credit not only to AAI, but also to their clubs, coaches, parents and more importantly to themselves. 

All athletes had an enjoyable experience and were able to meet and mix with the world’s elite athletes and have a few photos taken. The National Juvenile Committee wish to congratulate all the athletes who travelled and thank the managers (Evelyn O’Reilly and Pat Fitzgibbon) and parents who also travelled with the teams. 

Edinburgh in action

All four 4 teams stayed in the Premier Inn Edinburgh the night before the race and arrived at the course in plenty of time for their normal warm up. While the ground was soft and difficult in places during the walk around all the athletes enjoyed the excitement and TV cameras and the build up to their event.  Sufficient time was allowed after their competition to view the senior men’s and women’s races including photograph taking and autographs hunting from the elite athletes. All athletes appeared to have greatly enjoyed this portion of the day and the interaction with athletes from other countries. Several if not all athletes managed to obtain entry into the compound reserved for elite athletes and shared their company for a short period of time. 

RESULT

The Boys under 17 – 6K Race – in association with the Junior and under 20 men 
Total athletes competing : 90 
Darragh McElhinney , Bantry , Irish Team , with a time of 21.14 was placed overall in 34th place but was 3rd in the celtic games competition and received an individual medal on the podium. Damien Madigan, North Cork, on the development team had a great run and came in as the 2nd Irish athlete placed 49 with a time of 21.53. There was literally no time difference in the finishing times of the 2nd to 4th placings. 

Overall placing     Irish place     Name     Team    Time

34    1st    Darragh McElhinney    Irish     21.14
49    2nd     Damien Madigan     Development    21.53
53    3rd    James Battle    Irish    21.56
55    4th    Donal Devane     Irish     21.58
65    5th    Cian Kelly     Development     22.11
69    6th     Adam Fitzpatrick    Development     22.28
70    7th     Louis O’Loughlin     Irish     22.30
83    8th     Jack Moran     Development     23.13

As a result of the above, the Irish Under 17 team won the event and took gold. 

The Girls  under 17 – 4K Race – in association with the Junior and under 20 women This was a fantastic result for the Irish girls and due to the diligence of the manager secured 2nd placing and silver team medals. One of our athletes was not recorded as four athletes finished together with a time of 16.17.

Abigail Taylor , DSD, with a time of 15.22 was placed 3rd just ahead of Amy Rose Farrell with a time of 15.23 finishing 4th- Abigail received an individual medal on the podium.

Overall Placing    Irish Place    Name     Team    Time 

20    1st     Abigail Taylor    Irish    15.22
21    2nd    Amy Rose Farrell     Irish    15.23
45    3rd    Rosanne McCullagh     Irish    16.17
47    4th    Clare Rafter    Irish    16.17
54    5th    Aoife Darby    Development    16.36
59    6th    Grace Devane    Development    16.50
60    7th    Amy O’Brien    Development     16.52
64    8th    Annie McEvoy    Development     16.58

A total of 85 athletes finished this race.

Next Celtic Games

The next Celtic Games trip is the Celtic Track and Field Competition in Wales in August 2016. Details of which is published in the competition booklet.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria for this competition is based on the actual placing of each athlete at the national AAI under 16 cross country Championship which in 2015 was held in Santry. 
The first four athletes ( excluding Ulster) qualify for the Irish team and the next four athletes qualify for inclusion to the development team. The competition is for both male and female athletes. A total of 16 athletes are involved in the selection. 

In addition, all athletes must be declared fit , available for competition and be holders of an Irish Passport.