ATHLETICS, SOCCER, COMMUNITY GAMES Top talent on show indoors
GENERAL SPORT Wexford among the medals
SOME OF the best young talent from County Wexford travelled to Athlone last week for the national Juvenile indoor track and field championships (days one and two).
There were some great performances, both from the more established athletes and from those making the step up to the big time.
There is one group of young men who are certainly no strangers to the podium when it comes to national competition. The Menapians team of David McDonald, Ciarán Maher, brothers Sam and Luke O’Neill, and Adam Tierney-Smith won the Under-19 2 x 200m in a time of 1.31.25 minutes. They had more than a second to spare over the second-placed Galway City Harriers team.
The ever-consistent Ryan Carthy-Walsh of Adamstown achieved a championship best performance in winning the Under-19 high jump (2.10m). All going well, Ryan will see his P.B. moving closer to the 2.15 mark in the weeks and months ahead.
Lystus Ebosele (Enniscorthy) comfortably won the girls’ Under-17 shot putt. While any one of her putts would have been good enough to win the competition, her fourth round effort of 13.55 put the matter beyond any doubt. Adamstown athlete Éadaoin Stafford was seventh in the same event.
Jack Forde of St Killian’s was a clear winner in the Under-15 shot. His final round effort of 13.46m - a P.B. - put more than a metre between himself and the second-placed athlete.
Jack also placed third in the high jump with a jump of 1.68m, another P.B. Indeed, this was the same height cleared by the silver medal winner but, on countback, Jack just lost out.
In the Under-19 60m sprint Aoife Cloke-Rochford turned it on in the latter part of the race to take an excellent second place. Her time of 7.71s was 0.09s behind the winner.
Marguerite Furlong (Adamstown) took silver in the girls’ Under-18 shot putt with a best of 12.27m.
Eva Casey of Macamores claimed a very good silver in the Under-13 shot putt with her best effort of 10.33m coming in the first round. This was a mere two cm. behind the winning putt. The top two athletes were two metres ahead of the rest of the field!
Jack Hayden of Menapians claimed his first-ever national medal, placing third in the Under-18 400m. His time of 51.46s was a massive P.B.
Orlaith Deegan (S.B.R.) came second in the Under-13 high jump with a best of 1.46m, just three cm. behind the winner.
Staying with high jump, Adam Leahy of Menapians announced his arrival on the national stage with a P.B. of 1.45m in the Under-16 event. That was sufficient to get him into the top ten in his age group for the event.
Pádraig Hore (Taghmon) had to settle for bronze in the Under-18 shot putt, his third round putt of 13.82m being just three cm. behind the silver medal-winning distance.
Aisling Kelly (Taghmon) was just outside the medals, coming home fourth in the Under-15 60m. Her time of 8.05s, a P.B., was just 0.02s off making the podium.
In the Under-13 60m, Seán Rowley (Bree) was unfortunate in being run out of the medals. That said, he should be happy with finishing a good fourth.
Adamstown race-walker Triona Mooney placed seventh in the Under-18 1.5k walk.
Abbie Doyle (Bree) placed eighth in the Under-12 60m sprint. Clubmate Gracie Kehoe missed making it through to the same final by one place although she was rewarded with a joint seventh place finish in the high jump.
Bree’s Olivia Howe narrowly missed out on making the final for the Under-17 60m.
Saidhbhe Byrne (Enniscorthy) placed sixth in the Under-14 long jump with a very consistent series of jumps.
Orlaith Byrne (S.B.R.) placed seventh in the Under-13 60m final.
Two athletes from St. Paul’s were unfortunate not to medal. Maeve Hayes was fourth in the Under-16 high jump with a best of 1.55m while Sammy Delaney, with a new P.B. of 6.01m, was fourth in the Under-18 long jump.
By any standards this was a very good weekend for the county’s athletes. Athletics Wexford Chairman, Paddy Morgan, expressed his own satisfaction with the results, saying that Juvenile athletics in County Wexford is in a very good place right now.
He was particularly happy to see the numbers of athletes who are progressing through the ranks and making an impression at national level.
Day three of the national Juvenile indoor track and field championships takes place in Athlone next Saturday, April 1.
Menapians A.C. is encouraging its younger athletes to step outside of their comfort zone and try a new event. On Saturday next, April 1, the club is holding a multi-events morning at the track in Rosslare.
The aim is to get the message across to young athletes that event versatility brings real benefits. It is also something which top coaches encourage both for the all-round strength which this approach builds and, no less importantly, for the fun element it introduces to training. The session runs from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Last week’s County Wexford Novice road race results had errors in the women’s team placings. The corrected results are: 1, Slaney Olympic, 24 points; 2, S.B.R., 37 points; 3, Slaney Olympic ‘B’, 38 points; 4, United Striders, 52 points.
The race was won by Clodagh Dunbar.
In the men’s race the bronze medal-winning United Striders team finished one point behind second-placed Slaney Olympic.
Men’s results: 1, Croghan, 29 points; 2, Slaney Olympic, 35 points; 3, United Striders, 36 points.