Gold on the double for Athlone’s Eileen

Athlone athlete Eileen Kenny capped off her impressive season in wonderful style by winning a gold medal in the British & Irish Masters International Cross Country in Santry last Saturday.

A member of Athlone AC, Eileen won individual gold in the women’s O70 category. She clocked a time of 27.07 over the 6km distance, also helping the Ireland team to win gold in the team competition.

Eileen took part in cross country trials in Abbotstown last month in order to secure qualification to compete in the international event.

The British & Irish Masters International Cross Country was not held for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the previous staging of the event was in Aintree Racecourse in 2019.

Understandably, Eileen was “delighted” with her own performance and with Ireland’s team victory. Eileen was joined on the Irish team by Mags Glavey, Mary Lynch and Phyllis Browne.

“I had to work very hard around the four laps as I knew there were runners on my tail,” said Eileen.

“I had to work harder on the last 200 metres and what a feeling it was to win.

“I knew I had the training done and to end my 72nd year on a high was great,” added the Mount Temple native who lives in Athlone.

Eileen pointed out that she has done her training in recent months on grass (the Athlone Parkrun course and the Marist football pitch) and on the pathway adjacent to the Athlone Regional Sports Centre.

Her training has paid off in spades and Eileen is now looking forward to some relaxation and she certainly has plenty of achievements to celebrate from 2022.