Carlow teens take the Acrobatic Gymnastics world by storm

Two Carlow teenagers are set to represent Ireland on the global stage after Tara O’Neill (18) and Clara Duffy (13) earned the right to compete at the Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships in Pesaro, Italy.

Despite their young ages, the pair, based in Carlow Gymnastics Club, have been competing together for several years. They were selected for the Ireland International Development squad where they spent the last few years rising through the ranks.

Tara and Clara work primarily with their own coach, Sara Rennick, as well as attending weekly sessions with Irish coaches in Abbottstown. They train in excess of 18 hours per week, with sessions focusing on skills, choreography, gym work, and even media training.

Their time in the International Development squad saw them come through several trials to be selected as one of three teams who will go on to represent Ireland in the ACRO World Championships, with the other two pairs coming from Wexford and Cork.

In preparation for the World Championships and to give them a chance to adapt to competing in Italy, Tara and Clara took part in the Turin Acro Cup in July. However, what was earmarked as an opportunity to gain experience for the girls ended up providing significant milestones in their young careers.

The Carlow duo finished third – a sensational achievement in itself – and registered some outstanding personal bests.

In terms of ACRO scoring, anything over a 26 is exceptional. 26.1 was the scoring average when it came to Irish trials earlier in the year, but Tara and Ciara smashed that figure, hitting a new PB of 26.7 on their routines.

Ahead of the Worlds in September, the next step for the girls is a training camp in Newcastle, England. The dedication to their sport is phenomenal, but is even more remarkable given that Tara is currently balancing her acrobatic exploits with studying for the Leaving Cert.

“It’s challenging enough, trying to balance training and study after school. But I was very lucky in the sense that my coaches are very willing to change around days and times to suit me and to help me be able to get my homework and study done as well as training. So, I was lucky in that sense,” Tara told The Nationalist.

One might expect that it could also be challenging for both Tara and Clara to co-exist given the five-year age gap, but Tara again displayed her maturity, telling us, “We're very used to each other now. We've been together for a few years, so we get along really well. We're nearly like sisters now.” 

Looking ahead to the World Championships, Tara says, “we're so excited; it's a dream come true - a childhood dream come true. We've been working really hard. It's one of the goals we wanted to achieve together. So, yeah, we're really excite and we can't wait to just get out on the floor and perform our routines.” 

These trips to Dublin, Newcastle, Turin and Pesaro do not come cheap, and so the girls have organised a selection of fundraising events to help offset the costs of travelling.

On Sunday, August 23rd, Connie Byrne will host a yoga session in Barrow Brew at 10am with a cake sale to follow. Then, the following weekend, the girls will be at SuperValu in Carlow Town, with a collection running from Friday 28th through to Sunday 30th.