History made as Tipperary woman wins Ireland's first ever Euro freestyle kayaking gold

Clonmel’s Aoife Hanrahan made history in France on Sunday, July 3, when winning Ireland’s first-ever women's Euro Cup gold position at the Euro Cup Freestyle Kayak event at the Natural Games, in Millau, France.
Last October Aoife became the first Irish woman to stand on a podium at an International Canoe Federation event, and she followed up that magnificent achievement when she became the first Irish woman to stand in the gold spot.
Alongside her in the final was Clonmel’s very own Beibhinn Butler who was placed 5th overall, in her first-ever senior women’s event at just 18 years of age.
It was the first time two Irish senior women competed in an international event final together and remarkably both hailed from the same home town of Clonmel. No doubt, Beibhin has a huge promise ahead.
The Natural Games is a multi-outdoor sporting festival comprising athletes all over the world competing in base jumping, paragliding, high line, BMX freestyle and much more.
Aoife’s first ride of the final was not as she wanted, coming out of the feature on multiple occasions and struggling to put a solid score on the scoreboard. After coming out of the feature on her entry move of ride two, she came back fighting, and put in some high-scoring moves to secure her second place.
Aoife went all out in her third and final run hitting one of the biggest rides in competition that she has ever got at 620 points putting her ahead of the local Spanish paddler Mireia Serres Segarra.

RUNNER-UP SPOT FOR RORY KEARNEY
Not only did Clonmel have success in the senior women’s, but also in the junior men’s podium where Clonmel’s Rory Kearney placed second, receiving his first international medal for Ireland. It was a huge achievement for Rory securing such a high placing in the ICF freestyle just behind world champion Tim Rees.
In the senior men’s event, David McClure, Kilkenny - Clonmel's Southeast Freestyle coach - put in an exceptional performance to place on top of the podium yet again in his second event of the Euro Cup.
Finally, in the junior women’s, Leah Hough from Dublin received the first-ever junior female medal for Ireland when placed second overall helping the Irish team to its best-ever performance at an international competition.