Talented Michael poles apart
Bowler named athlete of the year at awards function
MICHAEL BOWLER of Enniscorthy A.C. was named Mr Oil athlete of the year for 2018 at the annual Wexford Athletics awards night in the Riverside Park Hotel on Friday. A man who is no stranger in Enniscorthy, he has been in the U.K. for the past couple of years studying and training hard as a multi-eventer.
While he may have started his sporting life with hay bales in Caim, he ended his college days by winning the 2018 British University championships last May.
This result, along with his second place finish in the U.K. Decathlon championships, with a P.B. of 7,263 points, made it a very good year for him.
The latter performance put him at number eight on the all-time Irish decathlete list, and number one for the year.
He also came third in the 2018 British Universities pole vault with a P.B. of 475cm, which put him at number one in Ireland for the event. He subsequently went on to take the Senior Irish pole vault title.
He successfully completed his Masters in physiotherapy at the University of Birmingham, and has now returned and joined the ranks of the employed.
And while still training and excelling in his sport, he has started to pass on his sports and physio knowledge to the younger athletes in Wexford.
It’s mainly thanks to him and his family that we now have a pole vault mat in Enniscorthy, and his goal now is to play a part in developing the next generation of combined events and pole vault hopefuls.
The event also recognised the fine achievements of the 21 Wexford athletes who donned the green vest during 2018.
Starting with our Juveniles, we had three Wexford athletes who made the Irish team which competed at the schools international track and field meet in Grangemouth in July. They helped Ireland to a second place finish behind a very strong English team.
Representing Loreto Wexford, Taghmon’s Aisling Kelly won the non-scoring 100m and got a silver medal with the 4 x 100m relay team.
A month later she was selected for the Celtic International meet which took place at the same venue and, while captaining the girls’ Under-16 team, came third in the 100m and second in the 4 x 100m mixed relay.
Róisín O’Reilly (Menapians), also representing Loreto Wexford, competed in the steeplechase, and also did the double, making the Celtic team Under-18 and finishing fourth.
Gergely Pap of St. Paul’s represented Wexford C.B.S. and competed in shot putt, bringing home a hard-earned bronze medal.
Lystus Ebosole of D.M.P., having won the national titles in both shot putt and discus, earned her place on the Celtic Under-18 team. She brought home two medals – a silver in shot putt and a gold in discus.
Jack Forde (St. Killian’s) was Wexford’s fourth representative at the Celtic International in Scotland. He competed in the Under-16 high jump and jumped a creditable 1.81m to take second place.
Both Jim Corcoran and Catherina Corcoran were on official duty for the Irish team at the Celtic Games also.
Maeve Hayes (St. Paul’s) represented Loreto Wexford in the S.I.A.B. combined events in Glasgow in November. Competing in five events, Maeve played her part in securing silver team medals for Ireland.
It was on a trip to Mannheim, Germany, where David McDonald led the Irish Junior 4 x 100 team to a new national Junior record and world Junior qualifying time of 40.30s.
There was further international action with the relay team at the I.A.A.F. World Under-20 championships in Finland and at the London Diamond League.
Marco Pons of D.M.P. was part of the Irish team which competed in a spring throwing event in Portugal.
Leon Reid (Menapians) had his first outing wearing the Irish vest in Berlin for the European championships in August, where he had a seventh place finish in the 200m final.
Earlier in the year in April he represented Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games, getting a hard-earned bronze medal in 200m.
Three of our Wexford ath- letes made the Irish universities team which competed in May in Grangemouth, Scotland.
Peter O’Shea of D.M.P. took part in the javelin competition, coming fourth with a best throw of 40.06m.
Conor Wilson (Menapians) came third in 200m with a time of 23.44 seconds, and Emmanuel Ogbonna came fourth in triple jump with a jump of 11.92m.
Last summer, Patrick O’Leary (Bree) and Yvonne Naughton (Wexford Marathon Club) competed in the I.A.U./I.T.R.A. ultra-trail World championships in Spain as part of a seven-strong Irish team.
Patrick completed the 85km route through the mountains in nine hours 40 seconds, while it took Yvonne Naughton (W.M.C.) 13 hours and 25 minutes.
Wexford’s Masters sector continues to thrive, with good numbers competing at all levels. It was another successful year for our Masters athletes on both national and international stages.
Sporting achievements for Anne Gilshinan from Slaney Olympic in 2018 involved competing in the International World Masters championship track and field in Malaga where she won a bronze medal in Over-50 1500m.
She then went on to take the gold medal in the 1,500m in the British Master championship track and field in Birmingham.
At the European Masters championships in Madrid, Kilmore’s Jackie Carthy won a gold medal in the Over-45 5km cross-country, and a silver in the 3,000m.
Jackie was also a member of the Irish team which took part in Swansea in the British and Irish Masters cross-country international, earning a silver team medal in the W45 category.
At the European Masters indoors, Niall Sheil of St. Killian’s placed twelfth in the 1,500m and twelfth in the cross-country race. He was the first Irish man home, winning a silver medal with the Irish team.
He also qualified for the British and Irish Masters cross-country international, held in Singleton Park, and finished twelfth overall and the second scoring Irish man.
Ger Moloney of St. Paul’s travelled to the British and Irish Masters cross-country international in Swansea and won an Over-55 bronze team medal.
John McGrath of United Striders competed in his first international at the British and Irish Masters cross-country international and scored a silver medal on the Over45 team.
Fiona Kehoe of Kilmore was also a member of the Irish team in Swansea at the British and Irish Masters cross-country international and took a silver medal in the W35 category. The Irish W35 team were just two points off the gold medal-winning English team.
Ann Sullivan of D.M.P. was also on the Irish team for the British and Irish Masters cross-country and won an Over-55 bronze team medal.
Record-breakers in 2018 included the Menapians team of David McDonald, Conor Wilson, Aaron Tierney-Smith and Leon Reid at the national indoor club relays in Abbotstown on February 3. They got a national record in the 4 x 200 relay in a time of 1.29.10.
Róisín O Reilly (Menapians) got a championship best performance in the Under-17 steeplechase in a time of 7.06.73 at the national Juvenile championships in Tullamore on July 14.
Antoinette Stafford of D.M.P. broke the national long jump record for her age group, jumping 5.40 metres in the Leinster Masters track and field championships.
D.M.P’s Ann Sullivan made a welcome return to track, to win the W55 1,500m in a championship best performance of 5.23.25 minutes, and the 3,000m in a championship best performance of 11.27.04 minutes.
Anne Gilshinan of Slaney Olympic set no fewer than three championship best performances in 2018 in the W50 category: 800m (2:20.20); 1,500m (4:40.67); one mile (5.13.41).
The Kehoe Foods Lifetime Service to Athletics Award went to John White of D.M.P.
John has served his club for over 20 years in various roles, including stints as Vice-Chairman, Shairman and Secretary, during a period when the club has grown in numbers and undertaken a huge development of its facilities.
He has also served on various county sub-committees. He has spent many years as a coach where his main passion is for throwing events.
He has coached numerous national medal winners from different clubs all around the county, many of whom have gone on to international honours and medals.
He has officiated in throws events at Leinster, national and international competitions. In 2017 he served as throws coach with the Irish team for the Celtic Games.
United Striders won the Jim Redmond Cup for best overall cross-country club, while Menapians collected the Brother Egan Cup for best Senior club in track and field.
The Ann O’Keeffe Trophy for the best Under-17 female in the county track and field went to Blathnaid Fogarty (Enniscorthy), with the male equivalent for the Harry Keyes Trophy going to Aaron Browne of United Striders.