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Irish Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Jubilant Ace AC pair medal at All-Ireland Schools finals
Drogheda Independent Today at 06:30 It's been another strong week for athletes from Ace AC, with members delivering solid performances at both national and provincial events as well as at the BMC in UK. At the National Schools Championships, two Ace AC athletes earned bronze national medals while representing their schools. Firstly Eimear Cooney, competing for Sacred Heart Drogheda, took bronze in the Senior Girls 1500m with another fine display. Eimear completed the distance just one second behind the second-place athleted with a time of 4:36.79. Shea O'Donnell is one of the club's most consistent performers and he rarely fails to deliver results at the highest level. He was running for St Mary's DS Drogheda and also earned national bronze in the Senior Boys 1500m with a time of 4:02.23. Both Eimear and Shea will be strong favourites for national club medals later in the season. While these were schools results, both athletes train with Ace AC and continue to impress at national level. There was further success at the weekend, this time in the younger age groups at the Leinster Championships, where Caoimhe Carolan joined an illustrious group of female Ace AC athletes who have won provincial medals, claiming second place in the U13 Girls 600m. The Tullyallen-based athlete came through her heats with a strong time of 1:50 and secured the vital silver medal with a 1:44 personal best in the final. U17 athlete Chloe Cooney travelled to Loughborough in the UK on Saturday to compete in a BMC meeting and continued her strong return from injury, recording a season's best time of 2:16 in the 800m. Chloe has improved her time in each of her last three races and is clearly moving in the right direction. Elsewhere, out on the road, Danny Nugent won the Monasterboice 4-Mile Race, putting in a solid performance over the distance. Also competing in the same event were U8 Finn Murphy and U9 Millie Roche who both raced well and successfully completed the distance despite their young ages.
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ukrainian coach finds new 'home' with Sheffield boxing academy
A Ukrainian man forced to flee to the UK is celebrating his first year since opening a boxing academy in Pohodin came to the UK from Chernivtsi, a city in south-western Ukraine, on 16 June 2022 via the Homes For Ukraine scheme alongside his wife Zhanna and three young children. He originally volunteered at the Sheffield City Boxing Club but in May 2024 he set up the Pohodin Boxing Academy in Syd's Gym in established in his new home, the 35-year-old said: "I didn't know the language or the people and now I have my own boxing gym, but I'm not Churchill; I've not stopped a war." When Oleksandr came to Sheffield, Brendan Warburton MBE, the founder of Sheffield City Boxing Club, first offered him an opportunity to coach. Before his arrival the pair had swapped messages on Facebook but it was clear immediately that the Ukrainian would be an said: "He was great with kids and brilliant with all members, he used to really muck in with everyone"He's a really good coach and an all-round nice fella."Working with young people in the boxing ring has always been Oleksandr's passion, having taken part in 150 fights back in Ukraine."I love children, I have four of my own, coaching is hard with long hours but when parents and children are happy I am happy," he said. Syd Khan, who had introduced boxing at Syd's Gym in the old Darnall Education Centre on Darnall Road, was alerted to Oleksandr's talent by a friend who showed him coaching videos."I've never seen anything like it, the way he was communicating with the children, they were so connected," said Khan."I thought, wow, I need to use this guy." He allowed Oleksandr to set up the Pohodin Academy in May 2024 and it's proved a successful partnership."He is strict and has standards but he's an amazing guy to work with."We're now an affiliated boxing club with 22 amateur fighters - the majority had never fought before. He did that in a year." Whilst Oleksandr's still has family in Ukraine, he is keen to now stay in Sheffield."I thought I would live in the UK for just two months but now we are settled here," he said."My children speak the language. I have a business. This is my new home, I hope I can stay."The coach is also unashamedly ambitious for the club. Three of his boxers will soon be competing in the National Schools Championships in Northumberland."I would like three medals. Minimum. "In five years I would like a national champion and then a world champion, God willing." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
