Carlow gymnasts claim Silver at an international competition in Poland
Gymnasts, Tara O’Neill and Clara Duffy who have had a few weeks to remember.
It has been a few weeks to remember for local gymnasts Tara O’Neill and Clara Duffy. The two girls recently claimed silver at the Rzeszow International Acro Cup in Poland, while representing Team Ireland at the competition.
Both girls are members of the Carlow gymnastics club and were paired together back in March 2024 and were first selected for Team Ireland together in June 2024. The girls were the only members of the Irish squad from the Carlow club at the time.
The two girls first competed together at the National Championships in 2024 in Abbotstown, with the girls winning the National Championships this year.
They compete in the Youth category which is for people between ages 12 and 18 and there is an age difference between the girls, with one of them in sixth class and the other in sixth year in secondary school. This is quite rare in youth sport, but the girls feel they complement each other well as a result.
In March of this year, the girls travelled to Flanders to compete in another international competition, where they performed superbly.
The girls’ recent success in Poland took place two weeks ago. Four teams from Ireland took part in the tournament, with three teams taking part from Wexford and one from Carlow.
Tara and Clara train 15 hours a week under the guidance of club coach, Sarah Rennick, who the girls believe is instrumental behind their success. They also want to acknowledge and thank their Team Ireland coach, Victoria Patterson, who they believe is a brilliant coach.
The pair are travelling to Calendonia in Scotland in November to compete, and they hope to qualify for the World Championships in the near future.
Unfortunately, the girls receive no funding, so they have to pay for themselves to represent their country.
As a result of this, the girls’ parents have created a Credit Union account, called the Legacy Fund, which allows local businesses support local gymnasts that will represent Ireland in the future.
They also have a fundraising event taking place on July 20th in the Barrow Brew. There will be a yoga event on the day, with a bake sale also taking place. The girls are asking locals to come and support the event, and any support is hugely appreciated.
The girls hope their recent successes can inspire young gymnasts in the county and might inspire young girls to take up gymnastics.
