ALL OF YOUR CLONDALKIN SPORTS COVERAGE FROM PAGE 27-31
NORTHERN LIGHTS: Local starlets in Irish U-15 side but NI get final victory P30
BLAZING SADDLES: Halpin ready for top return from injury P29
GazetteSPORT
Clondalkin gymnastic club pair Sophie Toomey and Zoe Taylor won gold and were the club’s first ever Celtic Cup representatives
APRIL 12, 2012
Clon’s Celtic Cup gold for local duo Toomey and Taylor claim the crown for Clondalkin Gymnastic Club at international competition clondalkinsport@gazettegroup.com
CLONDALKIN Gymnastics Club broke new ground last weekend when the club’s Sophie Toomey, age 17, and Zoe Taylor, 12, took home gold from their very first Celtic Cup outing. Indeed, it was the first time the club had received a call-up to the prestigious event, a Junior international competition between the Celtic Nations (Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man) with potential future stars of the 2016 Games battling it out in both Junior and Minor categories. Although the club has, over the years, had many gymnasts competing successfully at International competitions, this was a significant first. Toomey and Taylor have been training together as a pair for the last two years, their selection for the Irish squad was based on the
results of the Winter Championships where they were ranked the number one women’s pair in the country at Grade 2. That was from a field of 160 competitors from all over Ireland, who each had to qualify through their own regions to reach those finals in Carlow for a day of intense competition. In the end, only a fraction of a point separating the medal winners. The Celtic competition moves from country to country year on year, and this year was held in Belfast where the two gymnasts, along with head coach Emer Kavanagh, witnessed a high-quality field, as the club’s chairperson Julia Toomey explains. “The international standard on the day was extremely high but both gymnasts have been training together intensely for the last two years to reach the standard required for this level of competition. “Their dedication and hard work paid off as
they produced an almost flawless floor routine which was awarded the gold medal. “It is an amazing achievement for the two gymnasts and their coach as it is the first time anyone from Clondalkin has been selected for the Celtic Cup, and everyone in the club is thrilled with their success.” The club is now busy preparing for National Tumbling Finals, which take place at the end of April, and the All-Ireland Acro Finals at the beginning of May. These results follow hot on the heels of the success of a group of seven Clondalkin gymnasts, plus head coach Emer Kavanagh, in Geneva at the International Acro Competition. Toomey, Fiona Tapley and Taylor all took silver medals, while Barry Gouldsbury and Beatrice Fagan received bronze for their performances, showing the emerging standard at the club.