Irish Schools’ Track & Field Championships 2025
Congratulations to Grosvenor’s track and field athletes who represented the School impressively at the 2025 Irish Schools’ Track and Field Championships, held in Tullamore, County Offaly over Friday 30th and Saturday 31st May.
On Friday it was athletes in the Junior age group who took centre stage. Amongst these, the standout performance of the day came from Jacob Cochrane, who performed superbly to secure gold in the Junior Boys’ triple jump. Having taken an early lead of 10.66 metres, Jacob was overtaken by an athlete from Belvedere College, who edged ahead of him with 10.77m in the third round. Not to be defeated, however, Jacob responded with an impressive 11.20m in the same round, placing him well clear of the field and, with it, securing him gold.
In addition, Dominik Lipowski took on the challenge of the Junior Boys’ Discus event, opening his campaign with a solid 37.16m throw in the first round — just shy of his best. This remained his top mark, securing him an impressive 4th place finish. An excellent showing for his debut at the Irish Schools’ competition, this experience will surely serve as motivation for the promising challenges ahead. Furthermore, Emily Hobbs stepped up to the challenge in the Junior Girls’ 1200m Walk event, competing against athletes a year older in her debut year. Rising to the occasion, she improved on her Ulster Schools’-winning performance, clocking 7:58.73 to finish in a commendable 10th position.
On Saturday, the older athletes took to the track, with star sprinter Ben Sykes leading the charge in the Intermediate Boys’ 100m. Coming off a fiercely contested Ulster Schools’ final —where even the clock struggled to separate the top two —Ben was eager to showcase his best form, especially after breaking his own N.I. Under-18 record earlier in the week (9.64s). In this he did not disappoint, delivering a dominant display to secure gold in 10.72 seconds, equalling the Irish Schools’ record as he claimed gold for the second consecutive year in the event – an incredible feat.
Elsewhere Jude Glover stepped into the Intermediate Boys’ High Jump as the reigning Ulster champion, ready to take on a strong field of competitors. Though he couldn’t quite find his best form on the day, he managed a 1.70m clearance, finishing in 7th place - a laudable effort in his first Irish Schools’ appearance. Furthermore, Noah Harper took on the challenge of the Intermediate Boys’ 1500m. In a hotly contested race, Noah held his ground with the leader through the first half of the race, fought hard to stay in contention as the pace intensified, and dug deep in the closing stages to deliver a strong finish, crossing the line in 9th place with a time of 4:16.40 — a determined effort against a high-calibre field.
In the relay, meanwhile, the Junior Boys’ 4x100m team, comprising Jacob Cochrane, Zayn Ahmed, Jeydhel Cabuhal and Isiah Erhabor — put in a solid performance, showcasing both speed and teamwork. A sharp first change between Jacob and Zayn set a strong tone, while the remaining exchanges were approached with caution. The team battled hard to chase down Leinster champions Blackrock College in the outside lane, but Blackrock proved too strong, delivering a significantly faster time than the Grosvenor squad had run at the Ulster Championships. Despite this, the boys can take pride in their performance, entering as Ulster Champions and running close to their best with a time of 47.76s to secure 4th place.
Well done to all of Grosvenor’s competitors over the two days – to return from the highest calibre Schools’ events in Ireland with a return of two gold medals is simply superb. We wish each of our athletes all the very best over the remainder of the season and beyond
Ben Sykes - winner of the Intermediate Boys’ 100 metres for the second year in a row.
Jacob Cochrane - gold medalist in the Junior Boys’ triple jump.
Emily Hobbs in action during the Junior Girls’ 1200 metres walk.