Team Ireland wrapped up its participation in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) today, as skier Julia Deakins delivered a determined performance in the Girls Slalom, finishing 34th on a challenging course that saw half the field unable to complete their runs.
With competition now concluded for Team Ireland, Finlay Wilson has been named as the Flagbearer for the Closing Ceremony, which takes place on Sunday night. Wilson delivered an impressive performance in yesterday’s slalom, achieving a top-20 result, setting him up well for the upcoming World Championships.
In the Girls Slalom this morning, Vermont-based Deakins rebounded from a slightly disappointing first run to deliver a faster second run, finishing on a high. Reflecting on the second run, 17-year-old Deakins said,
“It was tough at the top and tight, it was a difficult course. I didn’t have as many mistakes in the second run, and I’m happy that I finished. It was a fun and speedy course, I lost a bit of my speed going into one of the hairpins, but other than that I think I skied it okay today.”
The Alpine Skiers are supported this week by coaches Arjan Wanders and Geertje Derkson, who work with the Snowsports Association of Ireland. The athletes took the opportunity to learn from their expertise during the event. Deakins reflected on the experience,
“It was a great experience being here, and having an amazing coach from a different country was really cool. It was also good racing on terrain that I don’t see a lot of in the USA.”
Coach Geertje Derkson was particularly impressed with Deakins progression during the week, highlighting her ability to recover from today’s mistakes in the first run to deliver a strong second run,
“She started really well in the first run; the first gates were good, but she made two mistakes and lost a lot of time with them. In the second run she did really well from top to bottom. She executed what she had practised in training, and I’m really happy about that. She worked really hard this week and gave it her all in both competitions.”
The EYOF is a key milestone in the pathway of young Irish athletes, and this year’s winter edition ran from the 9 February and will conclude on the 16 February with the Closing Ceremony. Team Ireland’s four-person squad included three Alpine Skiers and one Figure Skater.
Speaking after Irish action at the EYOF, Chef de Mission for the Games, Nancy Chillingworth, said,
“The EYOF 25 has been a fantastic experience for our young team in a Games that our Georgian hosts organised extremely well. There were some strong performances from Team Ireland, along with valuable learning opportunities – exactly what you want from a youth games.
“Learning is such a large part of EYOF, where athletes experience training and competing in a multisport environment for the first time. They all also embraced the opportunity to work with and learn from new coaches, Arjan, Geertje and Andrew. I expect they will take a lot back of these lessons with them back into their home programmes.
“It was fantastic for the team to receive support from Team Ireland’s Olympians, with messages coming in from athletes such as Rhys McClenaghan, Kellie Harrington, Seamus O'Connor and Dean Clancy. This certainly brought smiles to the young athletes' faces and made them walk a little taller, knowing that they were entering the Team Ireland family.”
RESULTS 14th FEBRUARY:
Julia Deakins: Alpine Skiing – Girls Slalom, 34th with 1:53.26 (Run 1 – 42 with 56.65, Run 2 – 32 with 56.61)
SCHEDULE 16th FEBRUARY:
Closing Ceremony: Team Ireland Flagbearer is Finlay Wilson, WATCH HERE at 15:00 Irish time
The full team competing at the Games were Figure Skater Allie Peterson who competed in Batumi Ice Arena, and Alpine Skiers Julia Deakins, Kyle Gump and Finlay Wilson, who competed at the Bakuriani Alpine Skiing Course on the Didveli Slope.
==
ATHLETES:
Allie Peterson
Peterson is the second-ever figure skater to compete for Ireland at the EYOF, and her competition begins on Wednesday, 12 February. The 15-year-old, whose maternal grandparents are from Galway, was born outside Boston, and in 2021 relocated to Colorado Springs, CO, to train as a competitive figure skater at the USA Training Centre with Olympic and World coach Tammy Campbell and her team.
Kyle Gump
17-year-old Kyle Gump began his competitive skiing journey at the age of seven and is now based in New Hampshire, USA, where he has emerged as a promising young ski racer. His Irish heritage comes from his maternal grandfather, who grew up in Inverin, Co. Galway, before moving to the United States.
