Athletics Leinster Star Awards for 2024 (15th Feb)
Lily Walsh, Margaret Daly (with Morrissey Cup), Conor Sherwin
The Athletics Leinster Star Awards made a very welcome return to an in-person Gala Lunch on Saturday 15th February at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel in Carlow. Held at a Gala Dinner in January 2020, the awards were cancelled in 2021 because there was no competition in 2020 due to Covid health restrictions. They were cancelled again in 2022 and 2023 due to the lack of Leinster events that could be held due to Covid health restrictions in 2021 and 2022. They returned in 2023, but in a very simple ceremony during a break in the programme at the Leinster Indoors, so it was great to see the awards return this year at a Gala Function after a 5 year gap. These prestigious awards recognise one juvenile girl, one juvenile boy and one senior athlete from each County, based on their performances in Leinster competitions in 2024. In addition to individual honours, awards were presented for best County and Club in various categories.
Winning four Leinster titles in 2024 – 800m and 1,500m u/14 on the track (the 1,500m in a Championship Record) and u/14 and u/15 titles in cross country – meant there was no contest for Lily Walsh who received the Award for Best Juvenile Girl in Westmeath. Conor Sherwin won the Leinster 1,500m and 3,000m u/19 titles on the track and was second in the u/19 cross country to receive the Award for Best Juvenile Boy in Westmeath. Winning the Leinster senior 400m title by a distance in a then personal best time was enough for Patrick Leydon to receiver the Award for Best Senior Athlete in Westmeath in 2024.
Winning Club team medals in eleven of the eighteen juvenile races at Leinster cross country in 2024 meant it was little surprise that Mullingar Harriers retained the Morrissey Cup for Best Juvenile Cross Country Club in Leinster, a cup Mullingar has won every year since it was first presented in 2000. The presentations were made by Catriona Duffy, Chair of Athletics Leinster and John Cronin, President of Athletics Ireland, who commended the athletes on their achievements. Congratulations to Lily, Conor and Patrick, and to their coaches, their families and to all who contributed to their successes [GD].
