Laadjel selected for European Championships

ABDEL Laadjel has been selected for the Ireland Under 20 team that will contest the European Cross Country Championships in Abbotstown on December 12.

The 18-year-old Providence University scholarship student has been in tremendous form of late, serving up some excellent performances for the Providence Friars team.

Among his best results Stateside were a first-place finish in the 18th annual CCSU Mini Meet, 24th at the Big East Championships and 27th at the recent NCAA North-East Regional XC Championships in Boston.

A former student at Kishoge Community College in Lucan, he joined Donore Harriers in the spring of 2017 and won the All-Ireland Schools Under 16 Mile in 2019 and the All-Ireland Schools Intermediate title the following year before continuing on to take silver in the National Junior 3000m.

This year he clocked a time of 14.10.36 in the Irish Milers Club Meet at Belfast in May, before winning gold in the National Under 20 5000m and bronze in the National Under 20 3000m.

Laadjel will be joined on the Ireland team for this month’s Europeans by Nicholas Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC), Scott Fagan (MSB AC), Dean Casey (Ennis Track), Sean Kay (Yale University and Clonliffe Harriers) and Cian McPhillips (Longford AC and UCD).

He is coached at Providence University by Ray Treacy and Tim Brock, and at Donore Harriers by Ciaran O’Flaherty, Lee Van Haeften and Gerry Naughton.