Master of all she surveys!
Stafford’s a record-breaker
RECORDS WERE tumbling in Tullamore at the Leinster Senior, Under-23 and Masters track and field championships.
Antoinette Stafford of D.M.P. re-wrote the record books, posting a winning, and world-leading, 5.40 metres best in the Masters long jump.
In doing so she erased the long-standing 5.04m mark set in 1979 by former Olympian Méabh Kyle. Antoinette went on to take a convincing win in the 100m in a new championship best of 13.46s.
Anne Gilshinan (Slaney Olympic) won the W50 1,500m in a championship best performance of 4.58.39 minutes.
D.M.P’s Ann Sullivan made a welcome return to the track, following an absence of four years, to win the W55 1,500m in a C.B.P. of 5.23.25 minutes, and the 3,000 in a C.B.P. of 11.27.04 minutes.
It was a good day for Enniscorthy A.C., with Emily Waldron leading the way.
She came away with five medals fromfive events in W35: gold in the long jump and 400m hurdles, the latter in a C.B.P. of 1.17.88 minutes; silver in the 800m, 100m and 200m.
John O’Connor (M50) was third in the high jump, second in the long jump and javelin, fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 400m.
Margaret O’Connor won the W45 long jump and 80m hurdles, and placed third in the 100m, shot putt and javelin.
Chris St. Clare Johnston was second overall, by time, in the Senior 400m with 49.82s, while James Fortune was first in the Senior high jump, clearing 1.75m, and fourth in the long jump.
Peter O’Connor was third in the Senior discus and second in both shot and javelin, while Mairéad Fortune was sixth in the Senior 400m and fourth in the high jump.
Menapians athletes were also present in force: Jimmy O’Neill won gold in both the M55 100m and 200m; Shaun Donohoe won the senior 400m with a P.B. of 49.67s, and Conor Gaffney ran a season’s best to take Silver in the Senior 400m hurdles.
Conor Wilson ran well to take bronze in the 200m and place fourth in the 400m, while Michael Deady had season’s best times in the 100m, in which he placed third in 11.73s, and 200m.
Mel O’Callaghan also lowered his best times for the 100m and 200m, winning the Under-23 100m in 11.61s, while Catherine O’Connor took silver in the W50 1,500m and 3,000m.
John McGrath of United Striders was pleased with his haul of gold in the M45 1,500m and silver in the 800m.
Enda Cloake (Slaney Olympic) won the Senior 3,000m steeplechase while John Stone of D.M.P. won the M40 event as well as picking up a silver in the 400m.
Elizabeth Egan of Bree had a season’s best, taking bronze in a highly-competitive Senior women’s steeplechase.
Jenny Higgins of St. Paul’s won silver in the Senior 3,000m, while Joe Mooney (Adamstown) won the Senior walk title.
Aine Cullen of United Striders (W40) won the discus, was second in the shot, third in the 80m hurdles, and fifth in the 100m.
Deirdre Bower-Kavanagh of Slaney Olympic was second in the W50 long jump and fifth in the shot putt.
Clubmate Angie Redmond, competing in her first track competition, was sixth in the M40 1,500m and 800m.
Christine Stone (D.M.P.) found the going tough in the M35 800m but still placed third. She was also third in the 400m.
Finally, the Gately family who represent no less than five different clubs - Menapians, Bree, D.M.P., S.D.S. and Banagher - made, what is now, their annual trip to the competition. Once again they did not leave empty-handed.
Miriam, competing for Bree, won bronze in the W50 javelin; Olwyn, also Bree, was fifth in the W40 javelin; Neasa, competing for Banagher, was third in the W35 javelin; Ronan, competing for D.S.D., won the M45 400m hurdles in a C.B.P. of 1.10.24 minutes, placed second in the M45 high jump and fourth in the 100m; Patrick, competing at M50 level in the colours of D.M.P., won both the high jump, clearing 1.50m, a C.B.P., and the long jump. Michael, nursing an injury, had to be content with cheering from the sidelines.