Golds galore at Masters level
Young guns tested on schools cross-country course
THE IRISH Life Health national Masters indoor championships were held in Athlone recently.
There was gold and another world record for Anne Gilshinan (Slaney Olympic) in the M55 800m, with a time of 2.20.10.
Rúaidhrí Kedney (Menapians) won gold in the M35 200m, while there was also gold for Jackie Carthy (Kilmore) in the M45 3,000m, Ann Sullivan (D.M.P.) in the M60 3,000m, and Martin Kelly (Menapians) in the M65 1500m. Martin also earned a silver in the 800m.
There was silver too for Niall Sheil (St. Killian’s) in the M40 3,000m, and for Vance O’Reilly (United Striders) in the M65 shot putt.
Emily Waldron (Enniscorthy) was third in the M40 400m and sixth in the 200m.
Margaret O’Connor (Enniscorthy) was third in the M45 long jump and hurdles, fourth in the 200m, and sixth in the 60m.
John O’Connor (Enniscorthy) was fourth in the M50 high jump, fifth in the shot, and seventh in the 60m.
Aine Cullen (United Striders) was third in the M40 shot putt and fourth in the weight for distance.
John McGrath (United Striders) was fifth in the M45 3,000m, and George Delaney (United Striders) was fourth in the M45 800m.
Joe Mooney of Adamstown placed an excellent fourth in a high-quality national 20km walk. His time was 1.36.04.
There was an international dimension to the race with athletes from South Africa, Guatemala, Poland and Hong Kong. Conditions at St. Anne’s Park in Dublin, the venue for the event, were blustery and, as a result, less than ideal. Ciara Mooney, also Adamstown, won the open 3km race.
Santry Demesne was the venue for the All-Ireland schools cross-country. This is one of the most eagerly anticipated days on the domestic athletics calendar as one is always assured of highly-competitive and hard-fought races.
The layout of the course was such that all the essential ingredients for good cross-country were present: long fast stretches, testy little up-and-down hills, and a pest of an incline which, while not overly steep, did serious damage to tired legs.
The day itself was fine and dry although there was a strong and energy-sapping wind blowing in from the west. The course was much drier than it was for the Leinster championships a few weeks previously.
Cliodhna Kearney of Loreto Wexford lined out in the Junior girls’ 2,500m race.
Following a good series of runs in the qualifiers, she was delighted to have made it through to the All-Irelands and to have an opportunity to mix it with the best of the best. She ran a sensible race and looked strong throughout, finishing in 42nd place.
Eoin Shannon of Good Counsel New Ross is a young athlete with a big future ahead of him. He is blessed with a fine tactical brain, a cool temperament, and he is reliably consistent.
Competing in a helter-skelter Junior boys’ 3,500m race, he was not drawn out by the early fast pace, something which saw more than a few boys fading as the race developed. He patiently worked his way through the field until he reconnected with the ‘peleton’.
He ran on strongly to the finish and was rewarded with a very respectable tenth place finish. Eoin missed out on making the Irish team for the S.I.A.B. schools international as he unfortunately missed the age deadline by a few weeks. His United Striders clubmate William Park, a student at Ramsgrange C.S., placed 31st.
Claragh Keane, Presentation Wexford’s star athlete, had a terrible start in the Inter girls’ 3,500m race. With the course bottle-necking within 200m of the start, each race saw a mad scramble to get to the front.
So it was in Claragh’s race and she found herself caught up in the middle of the melee, checking her pace and waiting for a gap to open. It was well into the first of the three laps (1,000 x2, 1,500 x1) before she was able to move through the gears and play catch-up.
To her credit, she did not panic as she methodically worked her way closer to the front. With 1,500m to go she was up to 15th and mid-lap she was nudging top ten.
She worked hard up the final hill to maintain cadence and tempo and kicked early and hard for home, crossing the line in eleventh place.
It was a brilliant comeback and good enough to get her on the Irish team for the S.I.A.B. cross-country in Falkirk, which couldn’t go ahead as planned last Saturday.
Elizabeth Gahan of Gorey C.S., who has shown fine form this year both indoors and out, crossed the line in 36th place. Given the turn of speed she showed recently at the Leinster indoors, expect to see her name featuring in dispatches in the months ahead.
Wexford had two top-class athletes in the Inter boys’ 5,000m in Joe Byrne of Gorey C.S. and Myles Hewlett of New Ross C.B.S.
Joe managed to secure an early position for himself just off the front while Myles found himself in a similar situation to Claragh Keane, battling to get clear of the pack. A 5,000m distance on a windswept, hilly cross-country course is a much tougher proposition than twelve and a half times around a running track.
The attrition rate rose as the race progressed and athletes tired. This, however, was not the case with the two experienced Wexford boys.
While Myles was working his way up the field, he had left himself a mountain to climb in terms of catching up with the front runners.
Joe, much closer to the business end, kept it steady and worked his way up into 15th place mid-race. On the final lap he stuck to his task, picking off places.
He unleashed a mighty final surge at the finish to take ninth place. Myles stormed down the home straight, full of running, in 18th place. It was still a fine result when you consider he has another couple of years at this level.
As with Eoin Shannon, Joe’s age came between him and qualification for the S.I.A.B’s.
Róisín O’Reilly of Loreto Wexford was the county’s sole representative in the Senior girls’ race. Last year, Róisín won a silver medal in the Inter race. She was therefore seen by many as one of the favourites.
A pre-race bug in the weeks beforehand clearly affected her form as she showed no inclination to go with the pace and looked uncomfortable throughout, finishing well down the field.
Afterwards she said she was happy to simply finish the race in one piece. She plans on taking a recuperative break before preparing for the coming track and field season.