Celtic GamesWell done Joe McEvoy after a 3rd place finish in the Celtic games 110m H for Ireland in Scotland. All Ireland SeniorsIt was All Ireland Senior weekend in Morton Stadium and our small band of athletes did us proud as usual. Tom Hennessey showed the Athletics community that he is now a force to be reckoned with when finishing a very fine fourth in a classy 800m final. Tom hit the front after 300m as he likes to do and made a very honest race of it. In a hectic last 300m Tom just missed out on a medal when finishing fourth in 1m.53s. Tom’s journey back after a short break from the sport last year has been epic and he continues to inspire our younger generation of endurance runners. Robbie Bennett used this weekend to transition to 400m from his more familiar 100 & 200m . Rob was third in his heat and a fine sixth in a very competitive final and should be well pleased with his weekend. On Saturday there was also an U23 35 lbs weight for height which was won by Brian Naughton. Brian is normally throwing the hammer but on this occasion not only won but set a championship best performance of 3.10m. Paul White wasn’t firing on all cylinders and didn’t make the final of the 400m after finishing 3rd in his heat. Paul is a classy athlete and we look forward to him soon being back to his best form. Ciara Cummins too will be a little disappointed with 6th in her heat of the 800m but no better athlete to take it on the chin and move on Out men’s 4x400 team of Paul White , Liam Finn, Dan Finnerty & Tom Hennessey couldn’t quite match last years heroics but can hold their heads high after a battling 5th place finish. Our 4x100 team of Joe Naughton, Paul White , Dan Finnerty & Liam Finn were also fifth and this new line up could do with some work on their decidedly rusty baton changing. Great to see a number of our younger athletes make the trip to Dublin to support our seniors and meet their hero athletic celebrities which should inspire them in their own athletic journeys. Only one more competition to go which is the National League final in two weeks time in Tullamore. All Ireland Juvenileay 3 of the All Ireland Juvenile Athletics championships and while it’s been a long season for all our athletes for four 1500m runners today it’s been 11 months of non stop commitment.
Technically our endurance athletes have August off but because endurance running is not just a sport it’s a lifestyle being unfit is never an option. With that in mind Tom Walshe who started his season last October saved his best performance until last with a thrilling bronze medal finish after getting up to just pip his good friend and teammate Cian Hodgins on the line . Tom showed an amazing turn of pace over the last 100m and the time of 3m.37s is a Pb for both Tom & Cian. The one consolation for Cian is that he has already won an individual bronze himself In the U14 cross country but it’s still tough to lose a medal on the line. Win lose or draw it’s great to have your friends around you and Tom & Cian we’re still playing basketball together with their training group at 11 that night when the coach had to retire to the leaba Staying with the 1500s for the moment we had Ailbhe O’Neill & Ted Collins in the girls U16 and boys U17 respectively. Ailbhe finished 6th in her final and will be pleased with a very successful season. Ted ran a new Pb of 4.23 in his heat to finish off his season in style after a difficult winter through illness which seriously compromised his winter training which endurance athletes rely on to carry them through the season. Seán Carolan had a slightly below par performance by his high standards but still came away with third in the U18 Discus to finish his season nicely. In the U15 age group Ben Connolly grabbed the bronze medal in the pole vault with a clearance of 2.60m to confirm his status as one of the best up and coming pole vaulters in the country. The only track competitions left are the All Ireland seniors next weekend and the national senior club league final on the 19th August. P.s don’t worry the new cross country season is just around the corner. Day 2 of the All Ireland Juvenile champs in Tullamore this weekend and we had a good but mixed weekend . We had three athletes, Jodie McGrath , Joe McEvoy and Brian Naughton take home gold medals with Jodie in the U15 pole vault and Joe in his U18 100m Hurdles. Joe was also third in his Javelin. Brian took the top spot on the U18 hammer podium with a fine throw of 52m. Seán Carolan had another busy weekend and despite having an injury niggle he was second in the Shot & Javelin and third in the Long Jump where the groin strain affects him the most. Josh Delaney was second in his U16 Discus to continue his good season. Another athlete who has been really consistent this season is James Sage in the U15 age group and he didn’t disappoint with a super silver in the 80m Hurdles. Emma Carolan had a good day also with a fine fifth in the U14 Shot. Cian Hodgins ran a Pb of 2.13 in the U14 800m for fifth place which sets him up nicely for his preferred event the 1500m next weekend. Ellie McEvoy is following in her big brother Joe’s footsteps when she had a Pb of 1.45 for sixth in the U14 High Jump . Ben Connolly was seventh in the U15 Javelin with 32m. Next Saturday is the last day of the individual Juvenile championships and the club has a sizable contingent participating so we are looking forward to that.
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August 2020
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