Dundealgan A.C.’s Israel Olatunde will represent Ireland in the European Youth Olympics in Baku, Azerbaijan on 20th July. The former St. Mary’s College student who finished his Leaving Certificate in June has been selected to run in the 100 meters and also on the Medley Relay Team. The seventeen-year old made his International Debut in last year’s European Under 18 Championships in Hungary in the 100 meters, where he reached the semi-final.
Israel made national headlines earlier this year when he regained his National Junior 60m Athlone with a national youth record time of 6.84 seconds. This was the second year in succession he claimed that title having also won it a year earlier when he was just fifteen. Those victories were all the more impressive given that the Junior Championship caters for athletes up to the age of 20.
He followed this up in March in the National Juvenile Indoor Championship when he won Gold in the Under 18 60 meters. Two weeks ago he set a new National Youth Record of 10.63 in the 100 meters in Mannheim, Germany in a scorching hot 34 degrees. He was also a member of the Under 20 National Relay Team.
On Saturday at the National Juvenile Championships in Tullamore he again won Gold in the Under 18 100 meters. All in Dundealgan A.C. wish him an enjoyable trip to Azerbaijan.
