If courage were a subject on the Leaving Cert, then Aine Cuddihy would certainly get top marks. This Leaving Cert student at Scoil Mhuire in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, won her third Irish schools' title in the long jump last weekend, just weeks after being hospitalised for a major brain operation.
Last March, Aine developed a severe pain; a CAT-scan revealed a serious abscess on the brain and she was rushed to Cork for an operation that evening. "I was in hospital for three weeks, but then I developed an allergy to penicillin and had to stay in bed for another couple of weeks," she recalls. "I couldn't do any training before the schools' competition, but I wanted to compete badly to help the school in the overall trophy."
Aine's dedication to sport is equalled only by her academic abilities. Next August she takes up a scholarship at Harvard University, arguably the most prestigious in the US.
"I'm very excited about Harvard, obviously, but I don't think I will compete for the rest of the summer," she says. "After missing all that time in the last few months I'll need to build up my strength again for next year. The plan is to concentrate on both the long jump and 100m hurdles in the future."
Her outstanding potential in athletics, combined with her impressive Junior Cert results and high score in the SAT entrance exam for US colleges, convinced Harvard to offer Aine a prized place in next September's freshman class. She will be joined by junior tennis star Jenny Timoney from Kildare, also taking up a scholarship place. Aine's courage. If the apse has burst it could have caused meningitis but Aine was determined to get her academic and athletic career straight back on track. Aine already has had a distinguished career in athletics - a string of youth titles including the long jump, triple jump, 100m hurdles and 300m hurdles at the national championships last summer. Before her illness in March, she also won the long jump and 60m hurdles at the national senior indoor championships.
Her athletic travels have taken her abroad on many occasions and last year she was part of the record breaking 4x100m team that finished fourth at the European Youth Olympics in Portugal. Harvard will represent her first trip to America; Aine is, as always, enthusiastic.
"I'm not sure what I want to study yet, maybe maths or physics, and luckily you don't have to decide until after the first year. But I'm quite sure that I will come back to Ireland afterwards."
Despite missing so much training before the Irish schools championship in Tullamore, Co Offaly, Aine managed a victorious long jump of 5.28 metres. "A few weeks ago nobody thought I would be doing my Leaving this year, let alone the long jump," she says. "But I made a very quick recovery and decided to get on with it. I got great support from all my friends in athletics, which motivated me to get back."
