Sligo athletes Lucie Cawley and Erin Walsh in top form at schools championships
A relatively unknown name to most but a super star in the making to everyone close to her.
On Wednesday. Athlone TUS played host to the Connacht schools championships where Sligo kids dominated the day and in particular, Lucie Cawley. She toed the line in the intermediate girls 1500m steeplechase, a gruelling event to some, but for Cawley a match made in heaven. She lead from pillar to post in the gazing sunshine to record a time of 5min 02seconds, a new Connacht record and a time never recorded by an intermediate school girl on Irish soil, all of this by a first year intermediate student, so yes she will be back in this age category again next year.
Cawley, a member of Sligo Athletic Club, then made the trip to Tullamore on Sunday and moved up an age to u18 and distance to 2000m steeplechase in an attempt to qualify for the European Youth Olympic festival this July in North Macedonia.
With no early pace on, Cawley took it on and never looked back, she ran a time of 6mins 48seconds, which was inside the qualifying standard for the EYOF and breaking the Irish u18 record for the event. A new star has landed!!
Lucie's coach Dermot McDermott wasn't short on praise for the Streamstown girl 'genuinely the best I've ever got and I've had some serious good ones, she just needs to stay healthy year on year and the world's her Oyster'.
Back at the Irish schools on Wednesday and Friday, notable performances from Nicole Flanagan winning the intermediate girls long jump and triple jump, Darragh Burke ran like a scalded cat flying home to clinch a brilliant silver in the senior boys 200m in a rapid time of 21.94 seconds and Ruby Cunnane pushed All-Ireland champion from the age above her over the 75m hurdles for junior girls.
Briain Cullinan was a class apart in the inter boys 400m hurdles as he strode to victory.
Someone was shining down on Erin Walsh from St Attracta's, when she took a remarkable gold in the senior girls long jump, she fouled her first 2 jumps and with only one jump remaining, she played safe on the board but still sprouted wings to fly out the pit and claim gold, a very proud day for Erin and her family.
Summerhill boys stole all the relays while the Mercy girls took the top accolade in the Intermediate girls across all events.
The Irish schools Championsips will take place in Tullamore on Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st of May, the biggest event of the year for bidding stars.
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