Young athletes from across County Antrim have competed at the first round of the Flahavan’s Athletics NI Primary School Cross Country League, which took place at the Antrim Forum.
Jake Smyth from Stranmillis Primary School, Belfast placed first in the boys’ race, followed by Adam Hannah, also from Stranmillis Primary School in second place, with Aidan Butterwick from Methodist College Belfast Primary School in third place.
First place in the girls’ race was awarded to Beibhinn Bourke from Stranmillis Primary School, Belfast, followed by Kiyomi Tosh from Templepatrick Primary School, Ballyclare in second and Aoife Burke from St Bride’s Primary School, Belfast in third place.
Teams of six entered the girls’ and boys’ races and collected points for their school to compete in the second round, with the hopes of qualifying for the final which is set to take place on Friday 23rd February 2023 at Mallusk Playing Fields.
The top three boys’ teams were Stranmillis Primary School, Belfast, St Michael’s Primary School, Belfast and Campbell College Junior School, Belfast, whilst the top three girls’ schools were Stranmillis Primary School, Belfast, St Bride’s Primary School, Belfast and Moneynick Primary School, Antrim.
The 2023-2024 league was launched in September at Portstewart Strand, which was attended by Flahavan’s ambassador Hannah Gilliland, from County Down. As the official ambassador for the league Hannah will provide inspiration and motivation to the young athletes taking part this year, passing on her expert knowledge and training tips and reflecting on her own career to date. Following the final, Hannah will also visit the winning schools to meet the young athletes.
With the second round due to take place in December, schools will compete in two out of the three rounds to qualify for the final which is due to take place in February. The top 20 boys and top 20 girls at will be invited to join the Flahavan’s Athletics Northern Ireland Junior Endurance Squad, which will further develop their athletic careers by providing training sessions over the next 12 months.
For further information on the league, please contact Athletics NI at [email protected] or 028 9060 2707.
To learn more about Flahavan’s full range of products, follow @FlahavansUK on X (formerly Twitter), or @Flahavans on Facebook and Instagram.