Five TTI Para Squad players competed at the European Para Youth Games in Istanbul in the last week and acquitted themselves very well.
A total of four players and two coaches made up the Irish team – Head Para Coach, Sam Logue, Assistant Para Coach, Mick Cunningham, and players Sean Geoghegan, Sam Brennan, Aaron Mellows and Kevin O’Callaghan. Over the duration of the Championships the players played very well and the coaches were more than satisfied with the level of effort shown.
Sean lost in the last 16 of Class 8 after winning two in his group, while Sam did not advance out of his group. Sam’s results improved in the doubles groups alongside his Spanish partner Kevin Valls, but they lost in the last 16 against a strong Belgian pair. Back to the singles, in Class 11 Aaron did brilliantly to win a bronze medal in what was his second major competitive competition – a great performance.
However, the Irish performance of the tournament came from young Kevin O’Callaghan. While not progressing from his Class 4 group in the singles, he went on to medal twice in the doubles events – silver medal with his German partner, Andrei Saore in the Doubles and the ultimate, a gold medal in the Mixed Doubles with his Spanish partner, Martina Sande.
As is said down Cork way, brilliant or what?! It’s not every day in TTI that we have a European Para Youth champion!
