Duleek youngster makes club history
A HECTIC fortnight’s activity for Duleek & District AC culminated in a milestone achievement as Aoife Rohan claimed the club’s first-ever National medal.
All eyes were on the arena at Athlone IT for the Irish Juvenile Indoor Championships because, for the first time, the green vest of Duleek & District AC was marked present.
Aoife had qualified for the finals of the Under-12 High Jump by virtue of her bronze medal at the Leinster Indoor Championships, and with the top quartet in each province qualifying for the finals a day of tough competition ensued.
Aoife raised the bar of her own performance accordingly and her clearance of 1.30m was a 10cm improvement on her best in the Leinster Championship. This impressive leap was enough to take Aoife into the medal positions where she held on for the bronze medal.
What makes Aoife’s achievement all the more remarkable is that she has only commenced competing in the discipline this year, but already she has shown a clear aptitude for one of the most technical and testing events in field athletics.
Green was the colour on St Patrick’s Day in more ways than one as the ever-improving Sandra Cassin and Anne Hamilton took on the Balbriggan 10k in abject conditions which added significantly to the challenge at hand.
The conditions did not prove to be a deterrent as Sandra and Anne completed the course in exactly one hour - a result which augurs well for both for the season ahead. On the same weekend David Doyle completed the MSB 5k in St Stephens Green in 18:18.
The club’s juveniles picked up the baton and ran with it at the latest round of the Meath Track & Field League last Tuesday. The latest round of events was for the uneven age groups of Under-9 and 11 and generated another healthy turnout in Cushinstown.
Proceedings started with the Girls Under-9 60m heats where Saoirse Power, Nessa Rohan and Chloe Ryan ran very strong heats and Nessa and Saoirse placed in the final. The girls rounded off a great night’s work by putting in great performances in the long jump.
It took four very competitive heats to separate the Under-9 boys, with Jack O’Connor, Kyle Scully and Rhys Doyle narrowly missing out on making the final. Jack O’Connor put in an excellent performance in the long jump with a jump of 2.52m.
The Girls Under-11 quartet of Megan O’Connor, Doireann Power, Ruby Hartford and Ciara McCroary were very consistent in the long jump, with each exceeding 3.15m. In addition the girls were unlucky not to qualify for the 60m finals as only the winner of each heat got through.
Conal Deegan can be very proud of his efforts in the Boys Under-11 60m and long jump.
The mantle was handed back to the adults for the latest round of the East of Ireland Race Series in Bellewstown.
Tara Dillon put in a great performance in the 5-mile event to take ninth place overall, with Laura Donohoe and Karen Dunne following closely behind.
There was a 2,3,4 for the club in the 10-mile event, with Derek Reilly taking second followed closely by Peter Hearty and Eric Devine. Robert Kierans took fifth place overall.
The club’s ladies also placed 2,3 and 4, with Lorraine Noone followed closely by Amanda Noone and Deborah O’Sullivan. There were also very strong performances by Anita Lenihan and Mary Murray.
Ken Brady ran strongly over the 15-mile event, while on the same day David Doyle completed the K Club 10k in sunny Straffan.
There are few races as synonymous with the term fast and flat as the 4-mile road race in Dunboyne, and among the field of 700 athletes this year was Duleek’s Anne Hamilton who earned a new PB of 34:51. Lantern Bar (Navan) v Carranstown A (Duleek), at Thatch Lounge, Drogheda. Hill Bar (Bellewstown) v Carranstown B (Duleek), at Maguires, Kentstown. SLANE native Karl Rice had a St Patrick’s weekend to remember after earning silver and bronze medals for Meath Taekwon-Do School at the MSBA XVII Open Championship in Motherwell.
Black Belts weren’t competing until the Saturday afternoon and so it was a long wait for Karl before he got onto the floor to perform Patterns. It was worth it, however, as he picked off his opponents to reach the final before his luck ran out as victory went to his Scottish opponent.
Karl went on to compete in the Black Belt Sparring, his first outing in the senior section. Again, he picked up a couple of wins before losing to a stronger opponent in the quarter-final. Still, bronze - one of 17 medals in all earned by 11 Meath Taekwon-do School members - was a great result.