SILVER FOR CAITLIN HANCOCK IN ALL IRELAND T&F

Taking advantage of her dual nationality, Caitlin Hancock has been competing in Ireland this year, representing Leevale AC who are based in Cork.

She is not the first WGEL athlete to join Leevale as a second claim athlete, with 400/800m man Paul Scanlan also competing very successfully for them as a junior.

In June she took part in the Munster T&F Championships which, along with the Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster T&F Championships, acted as regional qualifying events for the Nationals in July.

The top four athletes in each event at the Regionals were then invited to compete at the Nationals, with Caitlin qualifying for both the U14 Girls' 200m and Long Jump.

The Nationals were held at Tullamore, and Caitlin registered a small PB (26.76s, 0.9m/s) in her 200m heat to make it through to the final as the third fastest qualifier.

However, she dug deep in the final, taking another chunk off her PB (26.13s, 1.3m/s) to bag the silver medal.

An added bonus is that her time means she's met the entry standard for U15G 200m at the Nationals in Bedford at the end of August.

In the Long Jump she registered a small PB (5.05m) with her first jump, but ultimately it was only good enough for 5th in a highly competitive final that saw the Championship Record broken (5.27m).

But all in all it was a great weekend, and a very successful first season for Caitlin competing in Ireland.