World Championships gold medal for Midlands athlete
Eileen Kenny secured a cross country gold medal when competing part in the World Masters Athletics Championships held in the United States of America last weekend.
A member of Tullamore Harriers AC, Athlone resident Eileen was first lady in the O75 category, with Jeannie Rice of USA second and Rosalind Tabor of Great Britain third. Eileen clocked a time of 30.28 for the 6km distance.
The World Masters Athletics Championships took place in Alachua County, located in the north of the state of Florida. This is just the latest in a lengthy list of achievements for Eileen, who is an inspirational figure in athletics circles across the Midlands and beyond.
Earlier this year, Eileen was part of an Irish 4x400m relay team which shattered a world record during at a race meeting at the National Indoor Arena in Dublin.
The Westmeath woman and her teammates Evelyn McNelis (Naas AC), June Comiskey (Raheny AC), and Phyllis Browne (Star of the Sea AC), recorded a time of 7.20.14. The quartet took over a minute off the previous record of 8.42.71 which was set in 2022.
Towards the end of last year, Eileen was part of the Irish women's O70 cross country team which finished second in the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International held in Belfast.