Young Thomastown Paddlers pick up plenty of prizes

A busy weekend of racing delivered plenty of success for the Thomastown Paddlers.

The action began at the very first Inaugural Slaney Kayak Marathon Race, a lapped course on a great flat water section of the River Slaney. Thomastown brought home the spoils as Donnacha Brennan and Adam Pender teamed up to win gold in the K2 Class. Dermot Forristal also made the podium, coming home with bronze after finishing third in Division Five. Cathal Treacy also returned to action, competing in a strong Division Two category.

The new event, which was organised by Bill Milne, was a great success and added another marvellous marathon ranking race in the South-East on a new stretch of water.

Liffey Descent

The Paddlers were out in full force at the highly anticipated Junior Liffey Descent Race. The 12km course, from Salmon Leap Canoe Club in Kildare to the Canoeing Ireland Training Centre in Palmerstown, included a portage around the dam at Leixlip reservoir and five weirs which tested the skills of even the most experienced paddlers.

Family and friends followed the race by land along the route to support young paddlers as they navigated the course. Some took seats at the Lucan Weir and Wren’s Nest to cheer on clubmates as they manoeuvred their way through the weirs and the aftermath of whitewater.

In the boys’ under-15 class Louis Evans and John Walpole both had a great race, Louis claiming fourth with John Walpole following just behind in fifth place.

In the under-15 girls’ race the Thomastown duo of Mary-Kate Ryan and Katie Hobson-Shaw battled it out for the gold medal. Both girls put in a great performance, Ryan edging ahead at the finish to take the win by half a boat length and bring home the gold, with Hobson-Shaw taking silver.

The mixed under-18 race was the largest and most competitive category on the schedule. All athletes worked hard and put in solid performances. Tadhg Ryan competed well in the fast and closely contested class, finishing first from the Thomastown faction.

Tom Evans was the next Paddler home, followed by the group of Oran Murphy, TJ Brennan and Matthew Stephenson.

The results brought an action-packed weekend to a close, with medals and experience taken away by the local crews.