Castlegar Athletics Club

18/06/2026

🇳🇬🇳🇬What a fantastic way to wrap up our outdoor season!🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🎉
Our final training session before the summer break was full of fun, laughter, and plenty of colour as the coaches showered our young athletes with colourful chalk and handed out treats to celebrate a hugely successful season.
It has been wonderful to see the hard work, dedication, and progress of all our athletes throughout the outdoor campaign. The smiles on their faces tonight were the perfect way to finish another memorable season at Castlegar AC.
As we head into the summer break, we would like to wish all of our athletes who are competing at the National Championships over the coming weeks the very best of luck. We are incredibly proud of everything you have achieved and can't wait to see what you accomplish next.
Enjoy the summer, everyone, and thank you to all our athletes, coaches, volunteers, and families for your continued support.🇳🇬🇳🇬

14/06/2026

🇳🇬Castlegar AC Shine at Connacht Outdoor Championships in ATU Sligo🇳🇬

Castlegar Athletics Club athletes delivered an outstanding series of performances at the Connacht Outdoor Championships held at ATU Sligo, competing across a wide range of track and field events from U14 through to U19 age groups. The championships brought together the best athletes from across the province, with many Castlegar competitors securing medals and national qualification places.

U14 Girls
Ciara Murphy enjoyed a fantastic championship, beginning with a silver medal in the 200m, finishing second in a time of 28.60 seconds. She followed this with an outstanding performance in the 80m, claiming her first Connacht Outdoor gold medal in a superb time of 10.81 seconds. Ciara was the only athlete in the field to break the 11 second barrier, a reward for her hard work and dedication.

Sadbhbh Healy also competed strongly in the 80m. Despite having no opportunity to warm up before her race, she ran impressively to finish third in her heat in a time of 11.94 seconds.

U14 Boys
William Duggan and Tiernan Lee represented the club in the 1500m. While the race did not go their way on the day, both athletes showed great determination and effort throughout.

Tiernan Lee also competed in the 400g javelin, producing a strong performance to finish fifth overall with a throw of 17.84m.

U15 Girls
Layla F***j Gheziel produced a determined run in the 1500m, finishing fifth overall in a time of 5:34.00.

In the 800m, Maisy-Bo Joyce ran a superb tactical race, remaining in contention throughout before producing a strong finish to claim the bronze medal in a time of 2:33.12.

U15 Boys
Grofu Newell continued his excellent season by winning gold in the 2000m Walk, crossing the line in 10:08.31.

Paddy Leonard delivered another strong performance in the club's green and white colours, finishing fifth overall in the 800m with a time of 2:34.03.
Grofu also showcased his versatility in the field events. In the High Jump, he cleared 1.25m, while in the Long Jump he placed fifth overall with a best leap of 4.31m, completing a busy and successful day of competition.

The club would also like to extend a special thank you to OKOH El'Nathan of Longford AC for his help and encouragement during the high jump competition.

U16 Girls
Siún Ní Chonaill produced a brilliant display in the 1500m, taking gold with a commanding performance. Her victory was richly deserved and secured her place at the upcoming National Championships.
Siún returned later in the day for the 3000m, where she added a silver medal to her collection. Showing tremendous determination, she produced a strong finishing sprint over the final 200m to secure second place.

U18 Girls
Orla Casey delivered one of the performances of the day, winning gold in the 1500m in an excellent time of 5:04.08. Her victory ensures qualification for the National Championships, where she will compete in both the 1500m and 3000m.

U19 Girls
Isobelle Conroy rounded off a memorable day for the club by claiming gold in the 800m. She ran a controlled and confident race to take victory in a time of 2:40.86.

U19 Boys
Matthew Newell Smashes Records at Connacht Championships
A phenomenal performance from Castlegar AC's Matthew Newell saw the talented U19 race walker rewrite the record books at the Connacht Championships.
Competing in the U19 Boys 5000m Race Walk, Matthew stormed to victory in an outstanding 20:21.25, breaking the four year old Championship Record of 23:06.86 by almost three minutes. His performance also surpasses the previous Irish U20 record and achieves the qualifying standard for the upcoming World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Matthew has previously represented Ireland at major international competitions and continues to establish himself as one of the country's brightest race-walking prospects.
While achieving the qualification standard does not guarantee automatic selection, this remarkable performance places Matthew in a strong position for consideration by Athletics Ireland for the World Championships team.

The Connacht Championships proved to be another successful outing for Castlegar AC, with athletes securing multiple gold, silver and bronze medals, alongside several top-five finishes. The club now looks forward to the National Championships, where a number of athletes will represent Castlegar AC on the national stage. Congratulations to all athletes, coaches, and supporters who contributed to a memorable day in ATU Sligo. Thank you also goes to Tony Casey for helping out as an official

Galway Athletics
Galway Bay FM Sports
Connacht Athletics
Athletics Ireland

06/06/2026

Castlegar Athletics Club enjoyed an excellent day of competition at the Connacht Outdoor Championships in Claremorris, with athletes producing a number of personal bests, medal-winning performances and strong championship placings across a range of events. The championships brought together young athletes from across the province in a highly competitive setting.

U10 Boys
In the 60m sprint, Mason Calvey clocked 9.11 seconds, finishing second in his heat and second overall. Mason also impressed in the long jump with a leap of 3.55m, earning a bronze medal.

Fionn O'Donnell ran 9.46 seconds in the 60m, winning his heat and finishing seventh overall. He also teamed up successfully in the pairs competition, claiming gold medal honours.

U10 Girls
In the 500m, Zara Casserly ran a strong race to finish third in her heat and fourth overall in a time of 1:40.95.

U11 Girls
The 60m competition saw several excellent performances from Castlegar athletes.

Amelia Farragher finished second overall individually in 9.04 seconds.

Cassi Healy placed fifth overall in 9.28 seconds.

The pair combined superbly to win the silver medal in the pairs event.

Also competing were:
Niamh Corbett, fourth overall in 9.34 seconds.

Hana F***j Gheziel, twelfth overall in 9.66 seconds.
Niamh and Hana secured a bronze medal in the pairs competition.

Hana also impressed in the 600m, claiming a bronze medal with a time of 1:56.50.

U11 Girls Relay
The Castlegar quartet of Cassi Healy, Niamh Corbett, Hana F***j Gheziel and Amelia Farragher delivered another podium finish, taking bronze medals in the 4x100m relay in 1:02.24.

U11 Boys
Ben Leahy, our only U11 boy to compete,ran 9.10 seconds in the 60m, finishing second in his heat and sixth overall.

U12 Girls
There were strong performances in the 60m from:
Ruth Heneghan, second in her heat and sixth overall in 8.96 seconds a new PB

Aoibheann Connolly, winner of her heat and seventh overall in 9.01 seconds also a new PB.
Ruth also competed in the long jump, recording 3.43m to finish fifteenth overall.

U12 Boys
Fionn Carr ran a new personal best of 9.10 seconds in the 60m, finishing third in his heat and thirteenth overall.
Fionn also excelled in the high jump, clearing 1.20m for sixth place and another personal best.

U13 Girls
Zara Calvey competed in three events, recording:
60m hurdles: first in her heat, eleventh overall (12.05 seconds)
Long jump: sixteenth overall (3.36m)
80m sprint: nineteenth overall (11.69 seconds)

In the shot put, Nicola Grealish produced a superb throw of 10.55m, a new personal best, to claim the silver medal.

U13 Boys
There was further success in the 600m.
Ciarán Casey won his heat and claimed the silver medal in 1:48.45.

Adam Carr finished second in the same heat in 1:53.50.

Adam F***j Gheziel placed thirteenth overall in 1:59.19.

Matthew Casserly, competing in his first race back after injury, finished twenty-fifth overall in 2:05.88.

In the 60m hurdles, Alex Lomboto produced a brilliant run to win the gold medal in 10.79 seconds.

The U13 boys' 4x100m relay team of Alex Lomboto, Ciarán Casey, Colm Garvey and Jacob Leahy finished fourth in 58.16 seconds, narrowly missing out on the medals.

In the long jump, Colm Garvey produced an excellent leap of 4.03m to claim the silver medal, missing out on gold by the narrowest of margins, just 1cm.

Making his debut in the javelin, Jacob Leahy showed great promise with a throw of 7.72m, gaining valuable championship experience in a new event.

The pair also competed strongly in the 80m sprint. Colm Garvey won his heat before going on to secure the silver medal overall in a time of 11.27 seconds.

Jacob Leahy ran 11.84 seconds to finish 15th overall in a competitive field.

We are so proud of all our young athletes. Today's results are a reflection of the dedication, commitment, and hard work the athletes have put in throughout the season, supported every step of the way by our amazing coaches.
A huge thank you to all our coaches for the countless hours of work, both on and off the track. Your encouragement, expertise, and commitment make such a difference to our athletes.
Thank you also to all the parents for your support and help today. Your encouragement and willingness to lend a hand are greatly appreciated and play an important role in the success of our club.🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬🥇🥈🥉

04/06/2026

Isabel Tracy came home with a fantastic 2nd place in the 800m at the Community Games, just being pipped on the line in a thrilling finish.
Isabel has shown consistent improvement throughout the year, and all of her hard work and dedication in training are really paying off. A brilliant performance and another big step forward, well done Isabel! 👏🏃‍♀️🥈

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

A huge congratulations to Charlie Gibbons on his fantastic performance at the Galway Community Games, where he claimed an impressive 3rd place in the U12 600m and secured qualification for the Connacht Community Games Finals.

Charlie always arrives at training with a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He works hard throughout every session, gives his best effort, and is constantly looking to improve. His commitment and enthusiasm are a great example to his teammates and coaches alike.

His podium finish is a well-deserved reward for the dedication he shows week after week, and everyone at Castlegar Athletics Club is delighted to see his hard work paying off.

Well done, Charlie, and best of luck in the Connacht Finals!

30/05/2026

*All Ireland schools track and field*

There was huge success for our athletes at the All Ireland schools track and field, which was held in Tullamore this weekend.

*Senior boys 3000m walk*
🥇 *and a championship record*

Matthew Newell, representing his school Coláiste Baile Chlair, literally didn't put a foot wrong as he stormed to victory and a new championship record in the senior boys 3000m walk.

The previous record was held by Matthews good friend and Irish team mate Seamus Clarke. Matthew worked hard from the start and opened up a decisive gap, which grew with every lap. He knocked a whopping 12 seconds of the previous record and should be very proud of his achievements.

*Intermediate girls 2000m walk*

It was a tough few days for Cliodhna Ni Chonaill, who was representing her school Coláiste na Coiribe, but we are so proud of her for toeing the line in the Intermediate Girls 2000m walk. Cliodhna was in 3rd place with only a few laps to go, but unfortunately, due to some technical issues, she did not get to finish the race. We have no doubt Cliodhna will bounce back and that her late grandad was smiling down on her.

*Senior girls 3000m*
Orla Casey dug deep throughout this race to run a new p.b by 12 seconds. Orla was representing her school, Colaiste Baile Chlair.
This was a fantastic performance for Orla, one of which she should be very proud of. We are excited to see what Orla can do over the next few weeks as she gears up for the Connacht and National Club championships.

*Minor Girls 800m*
A brilliant 8th place in the country for Maisy Bo Joyce. Maisy is going from strength to strength and should be very happy as she achieved a new outdoor p.b. by 7 seconds. Maisy Bo was representing her school Coláiste Bhaile Chlair. Maisy only took up the sport last year and is gaining great experience with every race. We have no doubt she will come close to running 2.20 for this distance.

*U16 Mile*
Elly Turner was representing Colaíste na Coiribe in the U16 mile.
Elly placed 10th overall and definitely had more left in the tank. However, she should be very happy with her new p.b as she broke her previous best by 3 seconds. With a bit of believe Elly is without doubt capable of running beyond what she thinks she is capable of running as the talent is certainly there.

*Junior Girls 1500m*
Siun Ni Chonaill was representing her school Coláiste na Coiribe in the junior girls 1500m.
It was a smashing and determined run from Siun as she smashed her p.b by 7 seconds to place 8th overall. It won't be long until we see her break the 4.50 mark, which she is well capable of doing. It was a fantastic run from Siun after a difficult few days, and it is without a doubt her late grandfather was smiling down on her today with great pride.

Galway Athletics Connacht Athletics Galway Bay FM Sports Athletics Ireland Coláiste Bhaile Chláir Coláiste na Coiribe

30/05/2026

UPDATE:
Killian produced a tremendous effort, covering an impressive 73.39 kilometres in 8 hours, 20 minutes and 19 seconds. Throughout the event, he showed remarkable determination, consistency, and endurance as he tackled the demanding format.
Everyone at the club is proud of Killian's achievement and the commitment he displayed throughout the challenge. Well done, Killian, on an outstanding run and a memorable performance at the Western Yards Backyard Ultra.

Best of luck to Killian O'Brien, who is taking on the challenge of the Western Yards Backyard Ultra this weekend.
The Backyard Ultra is one of the toughest endurance formats in running. Competitors must complete a 6.5km loop within one hour. Once the hour is up, runners return to the start line and go again. The process repeats every hour until runners can no longer complete the loop within the allotted time.
At the latest update, Killian had successfully completed five loops, covering an impressive 33 kilometres, and was preparing to head out again just nine minutes later for his sixth lap.
The unique format tests not only physical endurance but also mental resilience, as athletes must continually recover and prepare for the next start with very little downtime.
Everyone at the club wishes Killian the very best as he continues his challenge. We look forward to following his progress throughout the event.

17/05/2026

Lovely piece in the City tribune this week

Busy weekend at County Juvenile Track and Field Championships

12/05/2026

Castlegar Athletics Club