Boys U14 – Joshua, Oran, Max, Cillian, Alex, Senan
A small bit of club history was made in the recent Dublin Even Ages Cross Country when the Boys u14 became the first club team to qualify for the All-Irelands.
Led home by Max in 13th, the boys packed superbly with Senan, Joshua and Alex all in the Top 25 and with brilliant back up from Cillian and Oran, the boys were only four points off a medal. That disappointment had a silver lining as they did qualify for All-Irelands.
Those All-Irelands will be in Derry at the end of the November. A great achievement from the team as four of the squad only starting running in the past few months. Great credit to their middle distance coach, Marie.
The Boys u10 also had a 4th place team finish led home brilliantly by Darragh who claimed an individual medal in 6th. Darragh has been in super form this winter with top performances in the League and here he was supported strongly by Oliver, Sean, Frankie Joseph (making his debut), Eren, Jack, Conor and Fionn.
Marianne O’Farrell continued her super consistent form at Schools Multi Events championships at the Leinster School Pentathlon recently with a second place in the Intermediate Girls.
Competing across 5 events in one day Marianne was always in the medal positions after the opening event, the 60m hurdles and secured the silver with the final event, the 800m, with a storming and gutsy run.
Marianne will now go on to compete at the All-Ireland Schools in three weeks time.
There were strong and solid performances across the five teams that competed in today’s All-Ireland Cross Country Relays in Abbotstown.
First out of the blocks was the Mixed U12 Team of Sarah, Charlie, Ellen and Quinn and they acquitted very well to finish a strong 13th.
Next up were the Girls u13 and with Veronica and Sara making their All-Ireland debuts, they along with Mia and Niamh also came 13th.
13th was also the finish spot for the Boys u13 with All-Ireland debutant, Michael, joined by Ruben, Etienne and Leon.
The Mixed u14 had Hania leading off with a super first leg and with Senan, Nikita and Max they finished 10th.
The last of our teams out was the Girls u15 in the 4 x 1000m. The quartet finished, you guessed it, 13th and the four runners Sarah, Sophie, Ava and Ella were also the exact four who won the Club’s relay medal back in 2020, great to see them still competing nearly 6 years later.
The All-Ireland Cross Country Relays are a super event that provide a very competitive early season team opportunity with teams competing from all over Ireland. As most of the athletes are sprint or jump athletes, they will now turn their attention to the Indoor season while the middle distance athletes will have had a great opportunity to build on their strength for the season ahead.
The Academy had their big day out with the Childrens Games taking place in Tallaght on Sunday. The Childrens Games are for u9 to u11 and are Team or Pairs Based (so two athletes on a Team as opposed to individual).
Clongriffin AC had a big contingent competing across all ages and all events including the 2017 Group making their Championship debuts.
Well done to all who competed and the continued support of Parents and especially the hard working coaching team over the winter and spring months.
Turbo Javelin
The Throws has been an area that has seen a big focus by the Coaching Team over the winter and that bore fruit with some excellent performance in the Turbo Javelin.
Girls u9: 1st (Faye & Ruth)
Boys u9: 2nd (Zac & Matthew)
Girls u10: 1st (Alanna & Freya);
Girls u10:2nd (Laura & Zadie)
Boys u10:1st (Sean & Darragh);
Boys u10:3rd (Miguel & Sam)
Well done also to Ada, Alex, Jesse, Conor, Cameron, Mia, Lola, Kelly, Blayne, Conor, Fionn, Jack, Robyn, Marina, Eva, Freya, Isla, Macy, Zarya, Matej, Sam, Toby, Neil, Cian who all competed in the Turbo Javelin.
60m Sprints
Boys u9: 3rd (Cameron & Cian)
Boys u10: 1st (Darragh & Benjamin)
Well done also to Hannah, Willow, Ada, Liam, Matthew, Jesse, Arthur, Stefan, Quinn, Freya, Sienna, Zadie, Mia, Alanna, Conor, Sam, Sebastian, Fionn, Luzia, Melanie, Robyn, Amelia, Macy, Freya, Eva, Isla, Sam, Jake, Toby, Cian who all competed in the 60m.
Long Jump
Girls u9: 1st (Anna & Hannah)
Boys u9: 1st (Seamus & Cian)
Girls u10: 3rd (Sienna & Manuela)
Boys u10: 3rd (Sean & Benjamin)
Well done also to Willow, Stefan, Liam, Elliott, Julian, Bobbi, Lola, Laura, Olivia, Kelly, Caoimhe, Eren, Sebastien, Jack, Blayne, Marina, Melanie, Amelia, Zarya, Luzia, Sam, Denis, Majej, Jake and Neil who all competed in the Long Jump.
Middle Distance
Girls u9: 1st (Anne & Faye)
Boys u9: 1st (Zac & Alex)
Well done also to Ruth, Seamus, Conor, Julian, Elliott, Manuela, Olivia, Bobbi, Eren, Miguel, Denis and Sam who all competed in the Middle Distance events.
Day 1 of the Dublin u12 to u19 took place last Saturday in a showery Morton Stadium. Fifteen medals were secured across a broad range of events with the throws group in particular showing great progression and a new generation of athletes making their outdoor debuts in the u12 age group.
Marianne O’Farrell (Girls u17) secured double gold, winning the 300m hurdles after a big battle with her training partner, Ola Kacperska who claimed silver, and she backed this up with gold in the Long Jump. Ola had taken an early lead in the hurdles race but Marianne closed very strongly and despite clipping the last, Ola chased Marianne to the line.
Keane Wosser made his debut in the 250m Hurdles and he showed calmness off the last hurdle to come through and take a win in the competitive Boys u16 age group. Patryk Pucek continued his fine run of jumping form with a new PB of 6.31 for gold in the Boys u17 Long Jump. Timur Ciparsons had a big PB for 4th in the same event.
Azim Floro-Ali ran the race of his life in the Boys u16 800m, taking 7 seconds off his PB to take bronze in 2:08 while Seb Ursachi took bronze in the Boys u16 Javelin including some big throws marginally ruled out as fouls. Dylan Brennan jumped a PB in the Long Jump but was just outside the medals in 4th.
Eva McArdle also jumped a big PB in her Girls u15 Long Jump to take bronze, just ahead of Ella O’Dwyer in 4th. Ella also had a very close 4th in the 800m in a super competitive field. Liliya Riecka had a storming finish off the last hurdle in the Girls u15 250m hurdles to claim a bronze medal.
Nikita Riecka won her first Dublin medal in the Girls U14 High Jump with a PB, showing that consistency and perseverance will be rewarded while Max Lyons ran a great tactical race in the heats and finals to take bronze in the Boys u14 800m. Robin Harris showed his versatility by taking 4th in the Boys u14 Javelin.
Daniel Ward had a very exciting Silver in the Boys u13 Javelin throwing over 26m while Mikey Hayden was rewarded for his hard work over the winter with a bronze in the Boys u12 Shot Putt.
Last but not least was Sarah O’Halloran in the Girls u12 age group, underlining her multi-event potential with silver in both the 600m and High Jump, with big PBs in both events.
A break in competition now for two weeks with Days 2-4 taking place on the weekend of the 6th June.
Club athletes took part in Day 2 of the Dublin Juvenile Track & Field League on Sunday, 11th May 2025 at Tallaght Athletics Club, delivering several Top 3 finishes across track and field events and lots of valuable experiences gained by many of our younger athletes in particular.
🥇 1st Place
Robin Harris – Boys U14 High Jump
Quinn O’Dwyer – Boys U12 60m
🥈 2nd Place
Darragh Smith – Boys U10 60m
Ella O’Dwyer – Girls U15 800m
🥉 3rd Place
Benjamin Kasprzak – Boys U10 Long Jump
Mikey Hayden – Boys U12 Shot Putt
Sarah O’Halloran – Girls U12 High Jump
Dylan Brennan – Boys U16 Long Jump
Max Lyons – Boys U14 800m
Adam Conway – Boys U15 100m
Keane Wosser – Boys U16 100m
Azim Floro Ali – Boys U16 800m
Eva McArdle – Girls U15 100m
Well done to all athletes who competed. Next up will be the Dublin Championships.
Club athletes across several local schools delivered outstanding performances at the recent Leinster Schools Championships, returning with an impressive collection of medals, personal bests, and near misses.
🌟 Patryk Pucek of Nessans led the medal charge in the field events, claiming gold in the Inter Boys High Jump with a superb leap of 1.85 meters. He also showed his versatility by earning silver in the Triple Jump, capping off a brilliant day of competition.
⚡ On the track, Alicja Doyle of Belmayne Educate Together sprinted to gold in the Inter Girls 100m. Belmayne’s momentum continued in the relays, where the Inter Girls 4 x 100m team powered to a first-place finish, demonstrating excellent teamwork with Meabh O’Grady, Ola Kacperska and Marianne O’Farrell joining Alicja.
🥈 In the Junior Girls 800m, Ella O’Dwyer (Belmayne Educate Together) ran a strong and determined race to take silver, showing great stamina and tactical awareness.
🥉 Dylan Brennan of Malahide Portmarnock Educate Together captured bronze in the Junior Boys 100m, finishing strongly in a closely contested sprint.
🔍 There were also some near-misses:
Liliya Riecka (Belmayne Educate Together) was just 1 centimetre short of a medal in the Junior Girls Triple Jump, a heartbreaking but valiant performance.
The Belmayne Junior Girls 4 x 100m relay team delivered a thrilling race, missing out on bronze by an agonising 0.01 seconds in a photo finish.
Congratulations to all the students, teachers, coaches, and Parents involved. You’ve done your schools proud!
Relay Squads for the u14 to u18 Age Groups have been confirmed for the upcoming Dublin Championship and All-Ireland Championship if a team qualifies from Dublins. The Dublin Championships take place on the 11th June (Wednesday) and 13th June (Friday) in Lucan. The u14 and u15 Ages can have both a Championship and Development team while u16, u17 & u18 is Championship only. The objective will be to have more than one team in each age group, if possible. The Coaching Team are also conscious that some of the older ages will be in State Exams which may affect availability and the ability to field teams.
*in all ages, some new members are currently in the process of joining the Club and these may be added to Squads if their membership is in place in time.
Girls u14 (2012 & 2013)
Nikita Riecka
Victoria Misik
Hania Kacperska
Nina Sprysak
Darcy Henry
Aislinn O’Healai
Boys u14 (2012 & 2013)
Jacques Duthoit
Max Lyons
Robin Harris
Leon Keogh
Etienne Cotter
Alex Cotter
Girls u15 (2011 & 2012)
Sophie Winkless
Eva McCardle
Liliya Riecka
Ella O’Dwyer
Sophie Ferguson
Ava Kavanagh
Anyanna Enwerem
Sarah O’Farrell
Darcy Henry
Evie Grace
Hania Kacperska
Emma O’Brien
Boys u15 (2011 & 2012)
Cillian Martin
Adam Conway
Idriss Floro Ali
Charlie O’Brien
Arthur Kenevey
Amar Jith
Jacques Duthoit
Max Lyons
Robin Harris
Girls u16 / u17 / u18 (2008, 2009, 2010)
Isabella Maher
Aoife Ferguson
Lauren Ferguson
Marianne O’Farrell
Meabh O’Grady
Ola Kacperska
Lily Nadolinska
Alicja Doyle
Eimear Walsh
Poppy Norton
Boys u16 / u17 / u18 4 x 100 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 for u16 only)
A busy week over the past seven days with Club athletes competing on several fronts.
Dublin League Day 1
The U10 to U16 Age Groups had their first day out in the Dublin League last Sunday in Tallaght. The Dublin League is a great competition for preparing for the championships to come and for getting event experience. There were big numbers competing in the U10 Turbo Javelin and the preparation over the winter paid off with five club athletes in the Top 12.
Our Jumpers continued to progress with wins for Robin Harris (4.88m, Club Record u14) and Eva McArdle in the Girls u15. The 400m is a rarely run event for younger ages with good runs from Ella O’Dwyer (U15) and Keane Wosser (u16) while the Middle Distance squad in all ages got valuable experience in their races with the Boys u13 a standout with 5 of the Boys dipping under the 2 minute mark for 600m.
North Leinster Schools
Monday saw the North Leinster School Championships in Santry. This event is the first event in the qualifying chain for the Irish Secondary Schools Championship with qualifiers from this event proceeding to the Leinster School Championship. There were numerous qualifiers across many events with a broad range of schools represented by Club athletes including Manor House, Malahide Educate Together, Nessans, St Fintans, Belmayne Educate Together and Sutton Park.
The Ferguson sisters had a unique treble with Aoife (High Jump), Lauren (Race Walk) and Sophie (Discus) all taking gold while Dylan Brennan had a sprint double (100 & 200m) the Junior Boys while the Junior and Intermediate Girls of Belmayne Educate Together both won their 4 x 100m Relays.
In total, 21 Club athletes have qualified for the Leinster Schools.
Dublin Graded Meet
The first round of the Dublin Graded Meet took place in Santry on Saturday. This is a Senior Open Series of Meets. U17 Girls, Alicja Doyle and Marianne O’Farrell, made their debuts and both performed very well in their 100m events. Alicja running 12.16 for 6th in the A race while Marianne had a strong win in her C Race in 13.13.
All-Ireland indoor medals for Clongriffin are like Dublin Buses, you wait ages for one to come and then a load come at the same time. Coming into 2025, only three All-Ireland Indoor medals had been won by the Club in its history but last week saw two Golds, with Danny Davis and Alicja Doyle, and at the final day of the 2025 All-Ireland Indoors, another four medals were added to that haul in a dramatic and exciting day of action.
Patryk Triple Jumps To Gold
Patryk Pucek has more 4th to 6th places to his name in All-Ireland jumps events that he’d like to mention but he finally got to stand on the podium after a stunning breakthrough series of jumps in the Boys u17 Triple Jump. Coming into the event, he had never surpassed 12 metres but right from round 1 he put that to right with an opening jump of 12.19m. A remarkable series saw him surpass that in each subsequent round, culminating in a massive 12.93m in his final round, only 33cm off the Championship Record.
In the same event, Timur Ciparsons, had a breakthrough of his own, clearing 11 metres for the first time and finishing 5th on his All-Ireland debut. Lily Nadolinksa had earlier come 9th in her Girls u17 Triple Jump, narrowly missing out on a final spot.
It wasn’t just Triple Jumpers on shows as Leon Keogh was competing in the Boys u13 High Jump. Leon showed his versatility, having made the final of the hurdles the previous week, Leon cleared a new PB of 1.40m to take 7th in the final. Three really close jumps at 1.43m show Leon’s potential to go even higher in the outdoor season.
Boys u16 Take Relay Gold
The 2010 Boys relay team made their relay debut in 2022 at the Dublin Championships in the u13 Relay. That day they finished 5th in their heat and didn’t make the Dublin final. Roll forward three years and they were standing top of the podium as All-Ireland Championships. Lots of hard work, Reps in ALSAA, Jump Squats in The Junction, Hills in Fr Collins Park and Speed Work in Santry paid off. Winning their heat with a quartet of Dylan Brennan, Jaden Hagan Frank, Adam Conway and Keane Wosser, the boys went into the final with the fastest qualifying time. Squad depth was evident with Azim Floro Ali coming in for the final. Dylan handed to Jaden in the lead and with a huge run off the hill Jaden passed through his 100m mark to maintain the key inside lane. He passed to Azim who stretched the lead to handoff to team captain Keane who brought the boys home for a big win in 1:37.69, almost 3 seconds faster than their Dublin Championships time last January.
Seventh Time Lucky For Girls u15
Competing in their 7th All-Ireland Relay event, the 2011 Girls may have been thinking would they ever get the chance to stand on the podium. Having won the Dublins, and with the B Team 3rd, there was hope that this could be their chance. A tough heat draw meant the girls had to work very hard to make the final but they duly did and lined up in lane 4 in the final. Eva McCardle, not accustomed to lead off leg, set the team up brilliantly to hand over to 800m star, Ella O’Dwyer in a medal position. With several of the medal challenging teams front loading their second legs, Ella know she just needed to hand over to Ava Kavanagh in touch of the medal positions. She duly did and with Ava in a battle with Belgooly and St Abbans for bronze, she kept her composure to come home very strong to pass to Evie Grace in third place. Evie still had lots of work to do but she did it brilliantly. Pulling away in the final 100m to grab a brilliant bronze. After so many near misses over the past three years, it was an emotional result for the girls. Similar to the U16 Boys, this was a squad result with super sub, Liliya Riecka, also on site to get her bronze medal with the girls on the podium.
Mixed Relay Win Bronze
The Super Saturday had started with the Mixed u17 Relay. This involves two girls and two boys running as a team. Our quartet of Alicja Doyle, Patryk Pucek, Marianne O’Farrell and Keane Wosser had won the Dublin Championship so came in with a realistic medal shout. 60m Champion from last weekend Alicja, led the team off with a blistering start handing over to Patryk. Near disaster was averted after Patryk came in contact with the track side barrier but he ran composed after that to hand to Marianne in 3rd place. Marianne maintained this to hand to Keane who safely brought the baton home in 3rd place. Mixed Relay is a unique opportunity that allows boys and girls compete in the same team at the highest level.
Overall Relay Success
Aside from the relay teams winning medals, there were great performances across the board from the four other relay teams we had competing at the All-Irelands. None more so than the Girls u13 team who finished 4th overall, only 0.10 seconds off a medal. Squad depth was on show here when Zara Akinsowon had to come in as a late sub with her sister Mya injured in the warmup. The quartet of Niamh O’ Farrell, Mia Sinclair, Orlaith O’Grady and Zara took nearly two seconds off their time from the Dublins.
The Boys u13 (Leon Keogh, Etienne Cotter, Alex Cotter, Olly Dunne and Ruben Casey), the Boys u14 (Robin Harris, Hassan Khalid, Jacques Duthoit and Max Lyons) and the Girls u17 (Ola Kacperska, Lily Nadolinska, Meabh O’Grady, Marianne O’Farrell and Alicja Doyle) all finished 6th in their finals, and all running faster than they did in Dublins.
After a few days off for the athletes and coaches, attention now turns to the Outdoor season over the coming months.
Clongriffin AC 