The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Students run well at Munster cross-country championships
IT was a busy week both outdoors and indoors for Kerry athletes of all ages with the Irish Life Health Munster Schools Cross-country Championships in Clarecastle, Co. Clare seeing several Kerry athletes feature well. Oisin Spillane (Mercy Mounthawk) had a fine win in the Senior Boys 6,000m and Darragh O’Leary (St. Brendan’s) finishing 6th. Niamh O’Mahony (Pres. Tralee) was 2nd in Senior Girls 3,000m.
Adam Quigley (Colaiste na Sceilge) handled the sticky conditions very well to finish 2nd in Minor Boys 2,500m. Also in the Minor boys category, Tralee CBS won the 1st place medals in impressive fashion.
Also qualifying for the All-Ireland Schools Cross-country Championships in Santry on Saturday, March 7 were Senior Girls Leah Long (Mercy Mounthawk), Eimear O’Sullivan (Pres Tralee). In the Intermediate Girls race Kerry Eager (Intermediate
School Killorglin) qualified as did her sister Marina who went through in Minor Girls.
In Senior Boys Oisin is joined by St Brendan’s athletes Seamus Connolly, Josh Moore, Caolan Ryan, Oisin Walsh and Michael Sweeney.
In Minor Boys qualifiers were Kieran O’Donoghue (PIS Kenmare), Eoin O’Flaherty and Liam Og O’Connor (Tralee CBS).
INDOOR action also took place in Nenagh over the weekend with the Munster U-9 – U-12 Indoor Championships and Senior and Master Indoor Championships. On Saturday in U-10 girls’ Aoibhinn O’Driscoll (St. Brendan’s) was joint first in the U-10 60m and took bronze in the long jump.
Mason Elston Sheehy (Lois Tuathail) was third in the U-10 boys’ 60m and there was bronze for Stephen Harty (Tralee Harriers) in the U-11 boys’ shot. There were two walk medals for Kenmare AC sisters Lusai and Eabha De Faoite – Lusai winning silver in the U-14 age group and Eabha bronze in U-17. Shane Crossan (Tralee Harriers) also won a walk medal, finishing second in the U-14 boys’ race.
In the Masters the O-50 walk was won by Patrick Murphy (Castleisland AC) and David Kissane (St. Brendan’s) was first O-65.
The medals came thick and fast on Sunday as Kerry’s senior and masters athletes took to the track in Nenagh. Tralee Harrier medallists were Rebecca Falvey who won three medals on the day taking gold in the long jump, silver in the 60m and bronze in the 200m. Clubmate Rachel Bowler won silver in the long jump.
Master athlete Martin Flaherty was 2nd in the W4D and 4th in O-50 400m. Patsy O’Connor took the title in the O-60 Shot and weight for distance. Donal Crowley was second in the O-65 400 and won the 800m.
An Riocht’s Ger Cremin took gold in the O-40 hurdles and 400m. Jack Greaney was 3rd in the senior 400m, Michael Lynch won the O-35 60m, and Anthony Greaney won the O-45 60m and W4D and was 3rd in 200m.
Lios Tuathail’s Nathan Wright was 2nd in the senior 200m and 400m. Megan Lynch took bronze in the senior women’s 60m, while Louis O’Connell took bronze in the senior men’s 60m.
Michael Tony returned to competition taking the senior men’s triple jump with a jump of 12.34. In the 200m and 400m O-45 Kevin Lynch brought home the gold. The clubs senior relay team took the win.
Gneeveguilla AC’s Brid Stack brought home the gold in the O-45 200m. Killarney Valley’s Michael A Murphy won the O-50 60m.
Jerome Foley of Farranfore Maine valley was a very close second in the O-55 400m and 3rd in the 200m.
Jim O’Shea continues to show class in the O-75 group with a win in the long jump, and 2nd in the 60m while Daniel Clifford won the senior shot put, with James Nagle taking the silver. James also won the Senior W4D. Dermot Dineen won the O-40 1500m and was 2nd in the 800m.
St. Brendan’s Ursula Barrett took the O-40 long jump title with a new Munster record of 4.80m was 2nd in the O-40 60m with a new PB and rounded off the day with another silver in the 200m. Arthur Nowak was 1st in the O-45 long jump and high jump, was 2nd in the shot and 5th in the 60m.
David Kissane won the O-65 200m and was 2nd in the 400m and shot. David Butler was 2nd in the O-35 shot and W4D. Derek McCarthy O-40 won the high jump and also took silver in the shot and W4D. Their masters relay team took gold. Finbarr Collins was 3rd in the 1500m.
THREE Kerry athletes attended the IUAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Athlone last Saturday.
David Kenny of Farranfore Maine Valley was the stand-out athlete of the day. Representing CIT he continued his winning form of late to take the 2,000m walk title in a new universities record time of 7:25.99. The 21-year-old knocked 10 seconds off the old record, which had stood for seven years.
Solange Diogo (Tralee Harriers and IT Tralee) showed a return to form with bronze in the women’s triple jump with a distance of 11.60m.
Orla O’Reilly competed in the women’s individual 200m and was part of the UCC 4 x 200m relay team who finished in fourth place.
David Kenny sets new record for universities for 2,000m walk