National honour for javelin ace Joyce
U20 Athlete of the Year Oisin Joyce from Ballinrobe with his trophy at the 123.ie National Athletics Awards ceremony. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Athletics: The honours continue to roll in for Mayo javelin star Oisin Joyce. At the 123.ie National Athletics Awards which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry last Wednesday, the Lake District AC member won the U20 Athlete of the Year Award. It came on the back of Joyce securing Ireland’s first ever throws medal in the javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru back in August.
The 19-year-old produced the performance of his life to win bronze, extending his own Irish U20 record out to 73.89m to claim what was Ireland’s fifth ever medal at the championships.
Joyce fought off stiff competition for the award with Elizabeth Ndudi (Dundrum South Dublin AC), Fintan Dewhirst (Tir Chonaill AC), and European U18 hammer throw champion Thomas Williams (Shercock AC) all receiving worthy nominations on the back of brilliant seasons.
There was also recognition for West Sligo athlete Lauren Cadden as the 4x400m Olympic relay squad of which she was part of picked up the Team of the Year Award on the back of their historic fourth placed finish in Paris.
