This weekend, top athletes from all over the country made their presence felt at the U23 and U20 National Championships, with standout performances from Ace AC's Danny Nugent and Eimear Cooney, both of whom secured national medals in their respective events. 

Danny Nugent marked a major milestone in his athletic career by winning his first ever national medal in the 5000m at the U23 National Championships. At 19 years old, Danny clinched a hard fought bronze medal in an impressive time of 14.47. This result is a testament to his discipline, and consistent training.  

Due to his relatively young age, Danny still has a few years left to compete in this category. Danny has been an Ace AC member since he was a young child and now also trains with the Dublin Track Club. He is a perfect example of how hard work and perseverance pay off.  

Meanwhile, Eimear Cooney continued to build on her impressive season securing another national medal, this time, a silver in the U20 1500m. Fresh off her success at the U19 National Championships, where she claimed silver in the 3k, Eimear showcased her versatility in the shorter distance. 

Competing against older athletes, 17 year old Eimear made her move with 250 meters to go, when she surged into the lead. In the final 50 meters she was overtaken for Gold by a late push. Despite this, she finished comfortably in second, securing an impressive silver medal. Eimear’s performance speaks volumes about her ability to compete at the highest level, even when faced with older athletes. 

In other results, u19 Shea O'Donnell competed in the U20 1500m, narrowly missing out on a national medal after finishing in an agonizing 4th place. The race was decided by just hundredths of a second, with Shea giving a strong performance in a sprint finish. Shea was racing against older athletes, showing tremendous promise. He will be hoping for an even better result next week, when he competes in his own age category at the All Ireland finals.

Additionally one of the cubs most successful athletes over the past few years has been Neil Culhane. Neil faced a tough field in the U23 men's 800m. After qualifying for the final finishing second to Nick Griggs earlier in the day, he raced hard but ultimately finished outside the medal positions in the final. It was still a solid performance against some of the country’s top middle distance runners. 

In other Ace AC news, some of the younger Ace AC athletes competed in very poor condition in the annual Blackrock beach Races on Thursday with some good performances. Medals were awarded to the top 6 in each race. u10 Cathryn Cumming was 4th in the girls U10 race. 

Ruairi Cooney was 6th in the boys U12 race, while Hannah Black, Sophie Black, Finn Murphy, Maeve Reynolds, Aidan O'Connor, Muireann Chamass, & Adam Cumming all competed well.  Meanwhile Ace AC's Angela Kearney and daughter Maeve Nolan successfully completed the Achill half marathon over the weekend.  

Overall the future looks bright for Ace AC and we can expect even more success from these young stars in the seasons to come.