An Cosantóir

| 37 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 37 DF RUGBY The new year signifies kicking off a new season for DF Rugby, with both the Men and Women's teams hitting the ground running with a busy schedule of games. Looking forward Both teams are now in preparation for CISM 7's in France, best of luck to all involved. Please stay tuned as there will be a number of events on during summer including Hooker Regan 7's Tournament. Both the Men & Women's teams will host a number of international fixtures to round off the season from September to November of this year. DF BOXING Congratulations to our Defence Forces boxers on some impressive recent and upcoming international selections! Sgt Stephen Kelly represented Ireland as part of the Elite Team at the prestigious STRANDJA Elite Box Cup in Bulgaria. Pte Ross Hickey also travelled with the squad in his role with the Irish Elite Coaching Team. Meanwhile, Pte Rachel Lawless (6th BN) has earned selection for the upcoming Four Nations Boxing Event in Scotland this June – a superb achievement and well-deserved recognition of her talent and hard work. DF ATHLETICS The Irish Defence Forces Athletics Championships at the Watershed Athletics Track in Kilkenny saw some outstanding performances. Cadet Houlihan of the Military College won the men's 100 meters, with Cadet Bartak taking the 200 meters. Comdt James Ledingham was the standout athlete of the meet, winning the 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 meters, as well as the over-40s 3000 meters to claim the Mulcahy Trophy. In the women's events, Cadet Griffin of the Military College took gold in both the 100 meters and the 1500 meters, while Private Nolan of the 3rd Infantry Battalion won the men's 3000 meters DF ROWING The Defence Forces Rowing Club has been busy behind the scenes. While committee members put the final touches on our facilities at Collins Barracks, our athletes are focused on preparing for the penultimate event of the season, the 1km Championship. Crews are logging serious miles to tackle this tough challenge. Our calendar is also packed with outings at the Munster Branch and Cork Regattas, both hosted at the National Rowing Centre. As always, our WhatsApp channel is buzzing with crew updates, session reports, technical tips, and news from members abroad, including BQ Williams and Pte Diffley. Meanwhile, Pte Ronan Byrne is making the most of Rowing Ireland's High-Performance Programme as he works towards his goal of competing at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Men's results Women's results DF Rugby 42 v 10 Prison service DF Rugby 14 v 29 Leinster Juniors DF Rugby 19 v 53 Munster Juniors DF Rugby 5 v 35 UK AF DF Rugby & AGS combined 12 v Scottish Police

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