The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry cricketers take Munster Minor Cup
THE GloHealth Juvenile Track and Field Championships came to a glorious end on Saturday 23 and Sunday July 24.
Although the sun didn’t shine our athletes certainly did with medals and PBs galore from athletes as young as Under 12 and with some of our Under 19 competitors taking part for the last time as juveniles, ready to make the big jump up to Junior and Under 23 competition next year.
Tralee Harriers were far and away the best Kerry club of the championships with Conor Commane proving to be in a league of his own. He won the Under 14 boys’ 80m on Saturday, running the distance in 9.94 seconds, just a whisker off the national record and followed this up with a fabulous run to take the 200m title on Sunday.
Conor also picked up silver for the Under 14 boys’ long jump. Rachel Bowler finished in silver medal position in the Under 18 girls’ triple jump with a new PB of 10.72m. The club’s youngest medal winner was Jane Akinrinlade who picked up silver in the Under 12 girls’ 60m, running her second personal best of the day to cross the line in 8.60 seconds.
Coming back from a recent injury, Aoife O’Carroll was just pipped into fourth place in the Under 19 girls’ 400m but put all that behind her to take bronze in the 100m. Basit Oyebanji won bronze in the Under 15 boys’ 100m and he and Cillian Griffin put in great performances in the Under 15 boys’ long jump, finishing fourth and fifth respectively with Cillian jumping a new PB of 5.51m.
Both boys also qualified for the final of the 200m with Basit finishing in fourth place and Cillian in seventh. Cillian then went on to qualify for the final of the 250m hurdles, and determined not to go home empty handed, ran the race of his life to win bronze by the smallest of margins. Competing for the first time at national level was Cathal Murphy in the Under 12 boys’ turbo javelin
There were two Kerry athletes in the Under 16 boys’ triple jump with gold going to Michael Tony from Lios Tuathail and bronze to Darragh Courtney of St Brendans. Aaron Malik (St Brendan’s) finished in fifth place in the Under 16 boys’ javelin and also reached the final of the 250m hurdles.
Aoife Mahony (Lios Tuathail) added to her gold medal in the 800m on day one of the championships when she won bronze in the U18 girls’ 1,500m. Aoife Doyle (Star of the Laune) won gold in the Under 19 girls’ discus and there was silver for Killarney Valley’s Dion Marcus in the Under 19 boys’ 400m. Ruth Courtney (Killarney Valley) competed in the Under 16 girls’ triple jump and shot.
David Kenny (Farranfore Maine Valley) was the club’s only medal winner when he took silver in the Under 18 boys’ 5km walk but there were fine performances from Elaina Norris who was fifth in the Under 18 girls’ discus and Leanne Cronin who put in a new PB of 31.45 to finish sixth in the Under 17 girls’ hammer.
There were three of the county’s girls taking part in the Under 17 hammer with gold going to Sinead Warren (Gneeveguilla) and Lauren O’Grady finishing fourth with a PB of 33.73m. Gneeveguilla’s second medal came from Shona O’Brien with silver in the Under 17 girls’ 1,500m.
Kenmare’s only medal of the weekend came from one of their newest athletes, Denis Koyun, who only took up the sport this year and is proving to be a great competitor, winning silver in the Under 14 boys’ discus and finishing sixth in the Under 14 boys’ shot.
Gary Randles finished in fourth place in the Under 15 boys’ shot and Christine McCarthy was fifth in the Under 17 girls’ high jump. Also competing for the club over the two days were Iarlaith Hayes in the Under 16 boys’ javelin, Alyce O’Connor in Under 16 girls’ 1,500m and Rhona Randles in Under 15 girls’ 1,500m.
Well done to all the our athletes who have competed, won medals and put in personal best performances over the lengthy outdoor season.
Some will be enjoying a wellearned rest, some are still training for the national league and the community games finals in August and we wish them well.