County’s rising sports stars shine on big stage

Stirring finishes saw two of Kilkenny’s rising sports stars make the headlines.

For Mia Griffin and Mark Power, the last week will have been hard to top as they delivered a series of impressive performances in their sporting fields.

For Kilkenny City native Mark Power, it was a whirlwind start to what he hopes will be a long and successful career on the world’s golf circuit.

Having accepted an invitation to play in the Horizon Irish Open, Power lit up the K Club course with four impressive rounds. He opened with a bogey-free 68, adding a second day score of 71 to make the cut with three shots to spare.

“I couldn’t have dreamt of anything better,” he said. “Getting a start at my home open as my first professional event is crazy.”

Power continued his good form in round three, carding a two under par 70 to maintain his impressive start to professional life.

Power marked his professional debut with a solid finish to the fourth round. He birdied the closing two holes to finish level par and closed the week on seven under, a finish which left him tied for 33rd. He was second only to Shane Lowry in terms of finishers from the Republic of Ireland, pocketing just over €40,000 for his efforts.

“What a week,” Power said in the aftermath of the tournament. “You just can’t beat the Irish fans for incredible support.”

The transition from amateur to professional was quick for Power, who played on the GB&I team that took on the USA in the Walker Cup in St Andrews little over a week before hitting the fairways at the K Club. He has now left for Austria, where he is trying to get his tour card.

Power’s sporting achievements were matched by a series of eye-catching performances from Mia Griffin. The Glenmore cyclist led Team Ireland into the Rás na mBan and earned stage two wins for the national side.

Held across five days the six stage race started on a winning note as Griffin took the race leader’s magenta jersey following a sprint finish in Callan.

“I ride on these roads a lot, so it’s cool to be able to race a home race,” said a delighted Griffin after the stage. “From when I started out the Rás was one of those races that sparked my love of cycling.”

Griffin grabbed her second win when she raced to victory on the promenade in Tramore on Saturday, the first time the Rás visited Waterford in its 17-year history.

“That stage was crazy,” said Griffin. “It was a really hard stage the whole way. There were lots of attacks - I was dying going up some of the climbs as people were going up them super hard.

“It was brilliant teamwork that led us to victory,” she added. “We wanted a hard race and that’s what we got.”
Griffin’s week ended on a low note with a crash on the stage six criterium. The Team Ireland rider received mechanical assistance from her team, leaving her with a big chase to regain contact.