Anne breaks another record
World best by Slaney Olympic athlete at indoor tests
LAST WEEKEND was a busy one on the Leinster indoor athletics front, with two days of thrilling action at the National Indoor Arena, Abbotstown.
Saturday was given over to the provincial Junior, Senior and Masters championships.
Result of the day from a Wexford point of view was undoubtedly the world best 1,500m run by Masters athlete Anne Gilshinan of Slaney Olympic.
Anne, who was recently voted WMA world best Masters middle distance athlete, had clearly approached this event with a world record attempt for 1,500m in mind. Indeed, such was her attention to detail that she did what all athletes intending to break a record do… check in advance that the clock is working!
Midway through the race she must have been encouraged by a shout from husband Keith to ‘go for it…you are on target’. Anne duly obliged, running 4.46 minutes to win the M55 category and set a new world best - incredible running from a world-class athlete.
Anne’s next race will be at the national championship in Athlone where she will contest the 800m before heading off to Braga to compete at the European Masters indoor championships.
Jackie Carthy (Kilmore) was also a winner in the ‘metric mile’, taking the M45 title in 4.58 minutes.
George Delaney (United Striders) won men’s M45 gold, running 4.40 minutes. Martin Kelly (Menapians) took gold in M65.
Niall Sheil (St. Killian’s) took silver in M40, running 4.25 minutes, and Alan O’Connor (United Striders) was fourth in M40. Catherine O’Connor (Menapians) took silver in M55.
Ryan Carthy-Walsh of Adamstown put together a very good series in the Senior men’s high jump with a best of 2.05m, narrowly missing out on clearing 2.10m. He came second on countback. It was good to see a return to form for this talented athlete.
Jack Forde of St. Killian’s safely navigated the seven disciplines of the youth heptathlon to qualify for the nationals with 4,176 points. Along the way he picked up P.B’s in pole vault and 60m hurdles.
Saidhbhe Byrne of Enniscorthy took gold in Junior pentathlon with a total of 2,960 points. Eimear Halpin (Menapians) was second on 2,505 points.
Saidhbhe had impressive wins in the high jump (1.46m), shot putt (10.93m P.B.), 60m hurdles (9.81s), and long jump (4.70m).
Eimear achieved personal bests in hurdles (10.29s), long jump (4.26m) and shot (7.99m). She got the better of Saidhbhe in the 800m, the last event of the day, running 2.32 minutes. All in all it was a productive and rewarding day for both girls.
Margaret O’Connor of Enniscorthy won gold in the M45 long jump, silver in the 200m, and bronze in both the 60m and 60m hurdles.
John O’Connor ensured there was more silverware returning to the household, taking bronze in the high jump and placing fifth in both shot putt and 60m.
There were some good results for Wexford in shot putt. Gergely Pap (St. Paul’s) took the Junior title with a best of 13.06m.
Aine Cullen (United Striders) took silver in M40, while Laura Halpin (Menapians) was third with a P.B. of 6.54m. Daughter Eimear won the bronze in the Junior event.
Vance O’Reilly (United Striders) was second in M65. Deirdre Bowers-Kavanagh (Enniscorthy) was third in M50.
Deirdre went on to win her category in the walk and was third in the weight for distance. Aine Cullen broke the Leinster record in winning the weight for distance with a throw of 4.46m.
Aisling Kelly of Taghmon is in great shape this season and looking full of confidence. Competing in the Junior women category, she won gold in both the 60m and 200m, running an impressive 7.76s for 60m and 25.35s for 200m.
Elizabeth Gahan of Enniscorthy, a relative newcomer to athletics, also ran the Junior sprints. Having impressed in schools cross-country this year and last, she showed in Abbotstown that she has speed as well as stamina.
She was second to Aisling in the 200m with 25.54s, and fifth in 60m. It was no surprise to hear that she picked up P.B’s in both as this was her first time running the events. April Keeling of Menapians also competed in both sprint races but was a little off her best.
At Masters level, Emily Waldron of Enniscorthy showed that she is over a recent injury when taking bronze in the M40 200m. Clodagh Dunbar (Menapians) ran a strong race to finish fourth in the Senior 200m.
Striders athletes were, as always, to the fore in the 800m. Gavin Kelly was second in M50, and George Delaney third in M45.
Darragh Flannelly had a good run in the Junior event, clocking 2.05.29 minutes, while Adam O’Connor ran 2.09.19 minutes in the same race.
Gorey girl Corrine Kenny, running for Carlow club St. Laurence O’Toole, was third in the Junior 800m, running 2.24 minutes.
Martin Kelly (Menapians) won gold in the M65 400m, to go with his earlier win in the 1,500m, and took a bronze in the 800m.
United Striders athlete John McGrath won the M45 3,000m in 9.41 minutes.
Michael Deady (Menapians) clocked 7.39s in the final of the 60m. He ran a P.B. of 24.27s in the 200m.
In the 400m, Blathnaid Fogarty (Enniscorthy) finished fourth in 59.74s. The results were based on times in each heat and she was totally unchallenged in hers, winning by a street.
Enniscorthy’s Emily Waldron was second in the M40 400m, and Gavin Kelly of Striders was third in the M50 400m.
Tara Doyle of Adamstown placed fourth in the Junior triple jump with a best of 10.29m.
Enniscorthy fielded a strong women’s team in the 4 x 200 relay. Saidhbhe Byrne led out, handing over to Blathnaid Fogarty who put the team firmly in contention; Ciara O’Connor held her position and Elizabeth Gahan gave it everything on the last leg to set up a nail-biting finish.
Celbridge won with 1.48.09, Enniscorthy were second with 1.48.28, and Naas were third with 1.48.31.
This year’s Leinster Juvenile indoor athletics championships came to a close on Sunday with the fourth and final day largely given over to 4 x 200m relays. There were also a number of field events on the programme.
Enniscorthy’s Saidhbhe Byrne (Under-17) would have been forgiven for staying at home and putting her feet up after her fine combined events performances of the previous day.
While she looked weary in the shot putt, she still threw close to her P.B. to finish fourth and qualify for nationals. Triini Jurisoo of Menapians, competing in the same event, put in a good series of throws to finish seventh with a P.B. of 8.71m.
Saidhbhe then opted to skip high jump and concentrate on triple jump, an event which also featured Triini as well as D.M.P’s Rachel Gregg.
Rachel won the event with a very consistent series of jumps, her best being 10.54m, with Saidhbhe just 20 cms behind her in second. Triini placed fifth.
Michael Kent of D.M.P. won the Under-14 triple jump with a C.P.B. of 10.32m. This mark may end up staying on the record books for some time as the event looks like being scrapped for this age group from next year.
Jack Forde of St. Killian’s showed no signs of fatigue from his exertions of the previous day as he won both the Under-18 shot putt, with a best of 13.27m, and the pole vault with a P.B. of 3.10m.
Gergely Pap (St. Paul’s) also returned for a second day of competition, this time winning the Under-19 shot with 12.95m.
Dearbhla O’Hanlon (Taghmon) was second in the Under-18 high jump (on countback), jumping 1.40m.
Maeve Hayes (St. Paul’s) won the Under-19 high jump, comfortably clearing 1.60m.
Adam Leahy (Menapians) picked up a bronze medal in the Under-19 high jump.
The Bree girls’ Under-13 relay team of Ciara Laffan, Chloe Casey, Lea Bolger and Kiera Wilson ran really well to place eleventh overall.
The Bree boys’ Under-12 team of Jayden Kenny, P.J. Breen, Tom Finn and Shane Laffan finished first in their heat by a huge margin, running 2.02 minutes, the fastest of all the qualifiers.
Drawn in lane six for the final, the Bree boys were in third place when Jayden took over on the final leg. He was nothing short of heroic in the way he pursued and caught up with the boys of K.C.H. and Ratoath to set up a grandstand finish.
Coming round the final bend, it was still too close to call. It took a championship best performance by the Kilkenny boys to take the win, Ratoath holding on for silver with Bree a mere hundredth of a second behind in the bronze medal position. All three teams were inside the old C.B.P.
The United Striders boys’ Under-19 team of Aaron Browne, Conor Murphy, Patrick Doyle, Daniel Wickham and Luke Lindell placed fourth in their relay race.
The Kilmore girls’ Under-16 team of Niamh Fortune, Freya Thompson, Arwyn Thompson and Kate O’Flaherty ran well to place fifth in their heat.
Wexford had three race walkers at the annual Isle of Man Grand Prix meet. James O’Hanlon of Taghmon came third in the 10km with a time of 57 minutes. Joe Mooney (Adamstown) won the Senior 20km walk and Ciara Mooney, also Adamstown, was ninth in the 5km walk.
The annual Athletics Wexford awards night takes place at the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy, on Friday, March 6.
This is always a very sociable night when the county’s top athletes are applauded and rewarded for achievements both nationally and internationally.
Fixtures: February 29 and March 1, Irish Life Health national indoor Senior championships, N.I.A., Abbotstown; March 1, Wexford Novice road race championships, Ferns, hosted by S.B.R.; Marvh 6, Athletics Wexford annual awards night, Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy; March 7, Irish Life Health All-Ireland schools cross-country, Santry Demesne, Dublin; March 7, Irish Life Health national 20k walks championships, Raheny; March 8, Irish Life Health national Masters indoor championships, Athlone.