Ace day out as Aoife O'Connor completes hat-trick at the Louth Championships

Irish Independent

13-05-2025

That was despite the fact that a lot of the older Ace AC athletes did not attend as they were competing in Belfast at the Irish Milers meeting.
Niamh Faulkner has been showing some fine form at training and she won the U15 200m in style to secure her first Louth title. Other sprinters to medal were Daniella Adebola (U19 200m gold) and U18 athlete Chloe Hanley who secured a 200m silver medal.
Ace AC also collected many medals in the middle distance events. U14 contender Seamie Sheridan won silver in the 1500m, with his teammate Adam Cumming just behind in the bronze medal position.
In the U16 age group Kate O'Donnell won gold in the 1500m, U15 Taylor Gregory also won his 1500m and the ever-improving duo of Liam Lynch and Killian Sheridan won silver and bronze respectively in the Boys U17 1500m.
However, the Ace AC stars of the day were U16 all-rounders Aoife O'Connor and Naiya Semple, who won no fewer than five medals between them!
Aoife won three silvers in the long and short distance hurdles, plus the javelin, while Naiya - who is just returning after injury - won silver in the long jump and bronze in the 200m.
Caoimhe Carolan was second in the U13 long jump, while Brian O'Gorman also got an impressive second place in the Boys U17 long jump.
Other athletes to impress on the day in Bush were Alphie Marron, Aibhlin Kelly and Farah Smith and Ace AC will be hoping for lots more success this coming Sunday on day two of the Louth Championships.
At the Irish Milers event in Belfast there were some great performances and several PBs.
U17 athlete Daniel Hanley ran in the 800m and finished with an impressive PB of 2:04, while Tadgh Forde Dunne continued his long-awaited comeback from injury and also got an 800m PB.
In the U18 age group Rhys Clarke impressed again with a new 800m PB, as did Lorcan Forde Dunne in the 1500m with a time of 3:51.
U19 contender Shea O'Donnell and senior athlete Danny Nugent both continued their good form as they set new PBs over the 1500m distance.