Indoor action ends on high
National success in Athlone
WEXFORD HAD several athletes aiming for glory at the Irish Life Health national Juvenile championships in Athlone on Saturday, the final indoor event of the season.
The only track events were the relays. However, with no Wexford teams involved, the focus was solely on field events with shot putt, triple jump and long jump titles up for grabs.
Jack Forde had an early 10 a.m. start in the boys’ Under-17 shot putt. The St. Killian’s A.C. man came to Athlone on a high following his classy high jump win at the same venue the previous week.
Jack, a talented multi-eventer, has a fine temperament to go with his strength and versatility. He really is a competitor for the big occasion.
The only negative is that this often lands him with the pre-event ‘favourite’ tag, not that there was any sign that this bothered him last Saturday.
Jack eased his way into the competition, growing in confidence with each throw. By his third effort his timing and technique were perfect and he flung the shot a distance of 12.90m, his best of the day.
Nobody else in the field got remotely close to this mark and Jack claimed yet another national title, winning by 70cm.
What an achievement from one of Wexford’s finest talents in many a year, and it’s on to the outdoor season now for Jack.
Wexford was well represented in the girls’ Under-19 shot putt. Training partners, Lystus Ebosele (D.M.P.) and Éadaoin Stafford (Adamstown), usually work together but on Saturday they were competing against each other and battling for national glory.
Lystus’s record suggested that she was always going to be among the favourites. With multiple Irish vests already under her belt across a number of throwing events, Lystus is one of the most liked and respected athletes on the Irish Juvenile scene. Her throw of 11.64m in the second round was good enough to take gold.
Meanwhile Éadaoin, who is no stranger herself to the podium, was battling hard for the silver medal. There were three competitors chasing the remaining two medals and only centimetres separating them.
However, it was to be Éadaoin’s day. Her second round throw of 9.88m propelled her into second place, her best of the series and a position to which she held on to take the silver. These were great results from the Wexford duo.
Gergely Pap of St. Paul’s has been a consistent medal-winner at national level. His fellow competitors know that he is a force to be reckoned with, always the one to beat.
Like the aforementioned Lystus, Gergely has already picked up several Irish vests and is a hot prospect for the future. He justified his favourite’s tag, with his best effort of 14.13m being good enough to give him the win.
However, it was a relatively close thing as James Hughes (unattached) put it up to Gergely, getting close to 14m with his final effort. Gergely now turns his attention to the outdoor season when, on the evidence of how his form is shaping up, he will be the one to beat.
It was a big day for the Leinster Under-18 shot putt champion, Erin Van Straaten of St. Paul’s, who was competing in her first national championships. While Ciara Sheehy of Emerald A.C. (Limerick) was a clear winner by nearly two metres, Erin had a consistent series of throws to take the silver.
Her throw of 12.76m was close to 50cms further than her nearest rival. It was also a metre further than her throw at the Leinsters, showing her rapid rate of development. Erin is definitely one to follow in the busy outdoor season ahead.
United Striders man, Patrick Doyle, finished fifth in the boys’ Under-18 triple jump, with a best jump of 11.62m. That capped a strong indoor season for Patrick as he also made it through to the nationals in the 60m.
Orlaith Deegan of S.B.R. was 13th in the girls’ Under-15 long jump.
The national Universities outdoor championships, held in Athlone on Friday and Saturday, are the most prestigious in the Irish collegiate calendar. The event attracts some of Ireland’s top names competing in the colours of their respective colleges, including Phil Healy (W.I.T.) who is coached by Wexford man Shane McCormack.
Phil, Ireland’s fastest woman, won the 100m and 200m, her time for the latter being a European lead for the season and the third fastest time ever run by an Irish woman.
A number of Wexford athletes, including Ryan Carthy-Walsh (W.I.T.), were hoping to both make the podium and get points on the board for their college.
Ryan, who normally dons the black and gold of Adamstown, has been national Senior champion in the past and competed at the European Youth championships a couple of years back.
Preparing for last summer’s Leaving Cert. and making the transition to student life at W.I.T. meant that athletics took something of a back seat for much of 2018, so it was great to see him back in action.
He was without question the stand-out name in the field and was a well-deserved winner, clearing 1.95m, the only athlete to do so. The fact that he was well off his 2.10 P.B. will not have caused him any concern given that it is so early in the season, and that the main aim was to get maximum points for the team.
Race walker Joe Mooney, another Adamstown athlete, competing for D.C.U., is in fine shape at present having recently won the Isle of Man 20k race walk.
Competing last Saturday in the 3km walk, it was nip and tuck for much of the race between Joe and a fellow D.C.U. athlete. However, with one kilometre to go, Joe casually whipped off his cap and moved to the front. He quickly opened a gap and moved ahead for a facile victory and a good start to Joe’s outdoor season.
Jenny Higgins came third in the women’s 1,500m walk.
Aaron Tierney-Smith of W.I.T. was also looking to make it onto the podium, in the 110m hurdles. Aaron, who runs with Menapians, won the national University indoor title in Athlone in February.
Last weekend he was up against a quality field which included Matthew Behan of D.C.U., recent winner at the national Senior indoor championships. Aaron produced a time of 15.64s to take the bronze medal.
Peter O’Shea of D.C.U. was aiming for glory in the javelin. The D.M.P. man is a fantastic thrower and continues to improve year on year.
He threw a P.B. last year in the Mr Oil county Senior championships in Enniscorthy. His best effort last weekend was 56.95m, good enough to secure a well-earned silver medal.
Amy Forde of W.I.T. was in action in two field events on Saturday, the shot putt and the hammer. The St. Killian’s athlete placed ninth in shot with a best of 7.40m and fourth in the hammer with 29.26m. In the latter, Amy was up against D.C.U’s Michaela Walsh, one of Ireland’s best-ever female hammer throwers.