Two primary school children from Co Longford will represent Ireland tomorrow at the Millrose Games indoor athletics event in New York.
ilte Krasikova and Jairo Aklassou, both eight years old, will compete in the Fastest Kid in the World race on Saturday.
Both children are members of the Longford Athletics Club and only started running last September when the club opened its new indoor facility.
They have been training on the club’s indoor 60m track for the past few weeks.
Vilte, a student at Melview National School, has set her sights on running in the Olympics one day.
Her uncle Gintaras Kaseta and his partner Karen Higgins accompanied the eight-year-old on the five-day trip.
Mr Kaseta said the couple will be cheering on Vilte from the sidelines tomorrow.
“She’s so excited, she can’t wait to run. There are no words, she has met many athletes and received autographs,” he told the Irish Independent.
“She is very good and we are very proud of her, she is very focused.”
Jairo is a student at Stonepark National School, he and his mother Love also arrived in New York on Wednesday.
The eight-year-old “can’t wait” to compete in the event tomorrow and also plans to continue running in the future.
“I’m really excited, I like running,” he said.
The event will take place tomorrow at the Armory location in Upper Manhattan.
Last September, a number of children between the ages of seven and eight from Longford and neighboring counties took part in the Fastest Feet initiative at the Longford Athletics Centre.
The competitors had to sprint between two time gates, with Vilte and Jairo setting the fastest times on the evening.
The two children were immediately selected as Ireland’s representatives for this week’s trip to the US.
The search for Ireland’s fastest kids was started in 2015 by Sligo-born Dermot McDermott, a coach and avid supporter of athletics.
Mr McDermott, who is currently in New York with the kids for their race tomorrow, said they have “raw talent”.
“They just rocked on the final and they had never run before, it was really fun,” he said.
“The opportunities on the other side are huge, it’s a great program.”
Fellow Longford man and Olympic athlete Ray Flynn has been the director of the Millrose Games for over a decade.
Mr. Flynn attended the Fastest Feet qualifier in September while visiting his hometown and witnessed Vilte and Jairo’s talent first hand.
Mr Flynn’s father, Paddy, was a founding member of the Longford Athletics Club in 1969.
Longford AC vice-chairman John Fitzpatrick said the club’s indoor facility is used by more than 400 members.
Mr Fitzpatrick said by the end of this month the club will have applied for planning permission for an eight-lane 400m outdoor running track.