Geoghegan brings home another All-Ireland title
PAUL Geoghegan brought home yet another All-Ireland Judo Champion- ship title following a remarkable string of performances in Clonskeagh on Sunday.
Not only did the blind athlete from Tallaght surmount the challenge of four fully-sighted oppon-ents en route to the prize, but he was competing in the +90kg division for the very first time.
Indeed Geoghegan, the winner of ‘The Echo 2019 Sports Challenge’ Award last month, normally lines out in the -73kg or -81kg divisions.
“It was definitely a different experience” he told The Echo. “I’d never fought in that weight category before.
“The divisions I usually compete in are usually a mixture of strength and speed, but for competitors around 100kg, it’s not so much about speed, so it was different” he explained.
Geoghegan saw off the challenge of Fiachra Breslin from Donegal, Pat Doocey of DSJ, Drogheda’s Damien Cotter and eventual runner-up Leszek Wieczorek of CSJ.
A three-in-a-row All-Ireland champion up until last year when he was forced out of competition with a knee injury, the Tallaght man will soon be turning his attention to other big tournaments.
He is gearing up to represent TU Dublin at the Inter-varsities at the start or March before he heads to Donegal for a non-ranking event later that month.
Yet the big target for the Tallaght man this year will certainly be the EU/USA University Games in July when he hopes to again represent TUD.
TAGS Sport
