Two eight-year-olds from the west of Ireland head to New York to compete in the ‘World’s Fastest Children’ race.
Charlie Sweeney, from Melview, Co. Galway, and Saoirse Higgins, from Co. Sligo, will be heading to Millrose, known as the indoor Olympics of running.
The 55 meter race for children is a showcase event that will be held next Sunday.
Charlie is the pride of the local Traveler community and Galway City Schools
Radharc na Mara DEIS School has nearly 400 students, representing 28 different nationalities and a high proportion of children from the Traveler community.
Charlie is a talented young soccer player and a serious boxing challenger. He also turned out to be a top-class sprinter.
He can run 55 meters in 8 seconds, and even he is surprised by his speed.
“When I was selected to compete in the Millrose Games, I realized I was fast. But I asked myself… am I really that fast? After all, I was in Ireland It turns out that he is the fastest child of his age.
“But it requires a lot of hard work, like jogging and sprinting. I have a full schedule and it’s very hard because I have boxing on Mondays and Wednesdays and football on Tuesdays and Fridays. I have Thursdays off and I need to rest.” It’s very tiring.
“But right now I’m really excited and excited to go to New York. It’s just me and my mom who are going to New York as a whole family, so I can’t wait. It must be tiring.” It’s a 7 hour flight. ”
Charlie’s 9-year-old cousin Carly Rae Sweeney and her friend Candace Donovan are beaming with pride and happiness.
“We’re really excited for Charlie and we really hope he wins. He’s great in every sport and deserves to go to New York,” Candace says.
Carly Rae agreed, saying she wished him luck at the Millrose Games, but added: “You know it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t win. He’s got nine super runners in his race and he’s on a great journey, and he said, ‘He’s the best of his life. We’re going to spend some time together. I wish I could have gone with him.”
‘Fastest Feet’ was founded in Ireland by Sligo coach Dermot McDermott as part of the Talent ID program and sponsored by Galway’s Richard Donovan.
Mr. Donovan is an ultramarathon runner and organizes extreme running events around the world.
Both men are keen supporters of Irish athletics and have strong links with the Millrose Games.
Both men support the idea of ”Keeping Kids on Track” at this annual event, now in its 116th year.
Every year, thousands of 8-year-olds across the country are tested for top speeds in school hallways and playgrounds.
Keith Joyce, headteacher at Ladarc na Mara, said Charlie’s speed was “beyond the norm” and his achievements were hugely important to the school.
“When you think about us being in the middle of Galway City, we’re sending kids all the way to New York to participate and compete with kids from all over the world.
“I know Charlie will really enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime trip. He works hard in all his sports, training at the Olympic Boxing Club on the Westside, playing football with Hibernians in Galway, We also play Gaelic football.”The school team here is coached by Galway senior footballer John Daly. ”
Eight-year-old Charlie Sweeney, from Ladarc na Mara NS, Galway City, is the pride of the Traveler community as he heads to New York to compete in the ‘World’s Fastest Kids Race’ on February 11th.@millosegames @rtenews @Galwayhibs pic.twitter.com/IHFkPdngWc
— Teresa Mannion (@TeresaMannion) February 7, 2024
Mr Joyce said Charlie had great support from his family involved in the sport.
Charlie’s older brothers are boxers and will be competing in the Connacht Boxing Championships next weekend. Charlie said they got their sporting talent from his father, Des Sweeney, who is also their coach.
Mr Sweeney said his son was good at soccer, Gaelic football and boxing, but never realized he had a talent for running because he always came in last place. But he realized it was because he was training with his older brothers,” he said.
“This was a wake-up call. The training really helped him because he’s passing everyone on a little dynamo right now. I hope he can run well in New York for himself. He deserves it. ” he added.
Mr Sweeney said he had been trying to keep Charlie from playing contact sports for the past three weeks in case he got injured, but it wasn’t easy.
“He’s been biting his nails and there won’t be any anxiety levels left in his fingers. He just has a lot of energy and his body just wants to relax. So we’re going to let him run his errands on the 11th. I hope that and we’ll come back with something like ‘gold. “
Saoirse and Charlie will meet six Olympic medalists at a press conference in New York and attend a black-tie gala over the weekend.
Irish athlete and three-time Olympian Eamonn Coghlan will also be in attendance. The former world champion won New York’s Wanamaker Mile seven times.
The Millrose Games event will be broadcast on US television and Charlie and Saoirse will be on stage alongside Olympic and World Champions taking part in the Games’ senior competition.