Pippa and Niamh among the medals
THERE were some very strong performances from Co. Wicklow athletes in the Irish Life Health National Senior Indoor Athletics Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown in Dublin last weekend.
Top of the field of Sli Cualann athletes was Pippa Rogan from Greystones who was just pipped for a senior gold medal in the high jump by Finn Valley’s Sommer Lecky after both women had cleared 1.75m only for Lecky to be awarded the gold on count back.
It was bronze for Sli Cualann’s Niamh Kearney, also from Greystones, in the women’s 3,000m race after she charged home behind Ciara Wilson of DMP and Niamh Allen of Crusaders with Kearney recording a time of 9.48:30. Back in sixth position in this final was Wicklow’s Emma O’Brien who came home in 9.55:02.
Alana Ryan finished second in her heat of the women’s 200m behind Tallaght’s Rhasidat Adeleke who would go on to finished second behind Phil Healy in the final. Ryan ran 25.81 with Healy taking the gold in 23.16.
Claire Earls from Wicklow Town made it to the final of the Senior women’s 800m race where she recorded a seventh-place finish in 2.14:88 with Nadia Power taking the gold in 2.06:26.
Richael Brown from Greystones and wearing the Sli Cualann bib finished seventh in the heats of that race. That heat was won by the eventual bronze medal winner Claire Mooney in 2.12.43. Brown crossed the line in 2.19.77.
Ara Freeman from Greystones finished fifth in her heat in the women’s 60m sprint in a race that was won by Phil Healy. Former
Scoil Chonglais student Molly Scott finished second in her heat but could only manage fourth in the final.
Sli Cualann’s Conor O’Reilly finished in seventh place in the men’s shot put with a throw of 9.95