The highlight of the schools athletics calendar took place on Friday and Saturday of the June Bank Holiday weekend with the All Ireland Schools Championships taking place in Tullamore.
The event is the climax of weeks and months of competing across areas, regions and finally against the best in Ireland.
With competition incredibly tough and medals at a premium, three Laois athletes absolutely excelled.
Three All-Ireland champions now hail from Laois while three bronze medals were also won.
Representing Tyndall College in Carlow, Crettyard’s Fionnan Brennan is now the All-Ireland Minor Boys Shot Putt champion.
Fionnan’s final throw of 12.87m was a personal best and saw him bring the title home.
The second Laois All-Ireland champions hails from Ratheniska – Dan Downey.
He took part in the Junior Boys 800 metre event and won in a time of 2.05.
This is an absolutely massive achievement from the Portlaoise CBS student who had just missed out on a medal in the High Jump earlier.
His jump of 1.70metres saw him finish level in third place but he ended up fourth on a countback.
While Camross’s Andrew Cooper, representing Kilkenny College, collected two medals.
He won gold in the Intermediate Boys Shot Put with a throw of 16.56M, adding to the gold he won at the Loughborough International meet two weeks ago.
And Cooper finished the weekend with a second medal too as he won bronze in the Intermediate Boys Hammer too.
Two further Laois athletes also ended the weekend with bronze medals. Cillín Hoey of Colaiste Iosagain came third in the Junior Boys 80M Hurdles.
The Portarlington native came home in a time of 12.10 seconds to claim the prize.
St Fergal’s College of Rathdowney also took home a medal as Kaley Cozens competed in two events.
She finished third in Senior Girls Hammer with a throw of 41.93m to take the bronze.
She also took part in the Senior Girls Javelin where she finished sixth.
There were several other fine performance from Laois athletes across a range of events.
Elaine Miller of Heywood was desperately unlucky in the Junior Girls Triple Jump as she finished fourth with a jump of 9.34m.
Finn Craig of Knockbeg College came fifth in the Inter Boys 1500m Steeplechase while Aoibheann McDonald of Gaelscoil Carlow was fifth in the Senior Girls Pole Vault.
Edon Nimani of Tyndall College was sixth in the Minor Boys Shot Put while so too was John Delaney in the Inter Boys 800m.
Lily Brophy of Scoil Chriost Ri was seventh in the Minor Girls Shot Put and Will Duffy of Knockbeg College was eighth in the Junior Boys 1500m.
