Shot putters show steel
THE INDOOR season came to a belated end in Athlone on Saturday with the holding of what should have been the opening day of the Irish Life Health Juvenile indoor championships, another victim of last month’s Siberian weather.
The focus was on field events and relays.
We have shown at various times in the past that we can compete with the best at middle distance, sprints and multi-events.
Yet the event in which the county had most success in Athlone was the shot putt. It looks like we can add another strong to our bow!
Marguerite Furlong of Adamstown won the Under-19 event (4 kg.), putting the shot out to 10.42m.
D.M.P’s Lystus Ebosele won the Under-18 event (3 kg.) with 14.57m.
Behind her in third place, her 11.08m. being just 1cm. off silver, was Éadaoin Stafford (Adamstown).
Pádraig Hore (Taghmon) was runner-up in the Under-19 shot putt (6 kg.) with a best of 12.78m. Milan Kovacs (St. Paul’s) placed eighth in Under-17 shot (5 kg.).
Jack Forde of St. Killian’s, the 2017 Athletics Ireland Juvenile Star for Co. Wexford, started the year with a win in the national combined events followed by Leinster golds in shot putt and high jump.
Last month he won an All-Ireland silver in shot putt.
This time out he took the gold in the Under-16 high jump with a best leap of 1.75m.
If Jack keeps going at this rate he is going to need a new trophy cabinet!
Maeve Hayes (St. Paul’s) won a bronze in Under-16 high jump with a best of 1.60m.
Aisling Kelly of Taghmon was fourth in Under-16 long jump, the same position she managed in the Leinsters, with a best of 4.89m.
The Under-18 boys of United Striders placed fourth in the 4 x 20m relay.
Taghmon’s Pádraig Hore followed up on his silver at the national indoors with a bronze in the discus (1.75 kg.) at Sunday’s national spring throws event in Templemore.
Pádraig achieved a new best of 44.17m.
Amy Forde (St. Killian’s) was third in the hammer (4 kg.), with Brónagh O’Hanlon (Taghmon) fifth.
The Ferrybank open track and field sports took place on Sunday at Waterford’s R.S.C. This meet is very popular with clubs throughout the south-east as it offers a pre-season opportunity to blow out the cobwebs.
A big contingent travelled from Wexford with all clubs getting among the medals.
Roll on the track and field season!
Wexford Athletics is delighted to announce that former international athlete and D.M.P. stalwart John Joe Doyle is the new County Senior Competition Secretary. John Joe brings a huge amount of experience to the job both as an athlete and as an administrator.
Helping to lighten his load will be new Assistant Secretary, and clubmate, Kathleen Keane.
John Joe and Kathleen know that they can rely on the help and support of former Competition Secretary John Moore.
The net result of these new appointments is that it is all systems go again on the competition front. The re-scheduled Novice road race championships will now take place in Camross on May 5, while the Intermediate road races will be in Enniscorthy on August 3.
Fixtures: April 15, Athletics Ireland National 10k, Phoenix Park (run in conjunction with the Garmin Great Ireland Run); April 22, St. Senan’s A.C. open track and field, Kilmacow, Co. Kilkenny; April 29, Pettitt’s SuperValu Wexford Half Marathon and 10k, organised in association with D.M.P. A.C. (www.wexfordhalfmarathon.com/ half-marathon)