Elizabeth finds a bit Mor
CUSHINSTOWN AC’s Elizabeth Morland gained the qualifying standard for next month’s European Junior Championships in Italy after breaking her own Irish senior heptathlon record at a recent meeting in Arona, Tenerife.
The standard aggregate points total required to qualify is 5,100, but Morland soared past that to gain 5,669 points after two days of competition in the seven disciplines.
Morland began by clocking a time of 14.01sec in the 100m hurdles and then leaped to a new outdoor personal best of 1.76m in the high jump before throwing 10.73m in the shot put.
Her long jump distance was 5.87m, she gained a new PB in the javelin with a throw of 41.98m, and finished the competition with times of 25.13sec for the 200m and 2:22.30 in the 800m.
Elsewhere, Cushinstown’s juvenile athletes put in some great performances at the Leinster Teams event in Tullamore.
The Under-12 Boys team of Eamon Armstrong, James Bellew, Lee Callaghan and Jyles Gogan won bronze and it was gold for the Under-13 Girls team of Ella Barry, Laura Bolster, Isabella Gogan and Roisin McManus.
The two Under-15 girls teams entered did brilliantly, coming first and second thanks to the efforts of Amy Callaghan, Katie Lenehan, Aine O’Sullivan and Mollie White, and Amy Bellew, Niamh Quinn, Ava Purcell and Ciara Smyth.
Cushinstown’s juveniles were back down to Tullamore on Saturday last for the Leinster Pairs competition and two of the younger athletes, Sean Armstrong and Harry Gough, did brilliantly when coming third in the Under-9 turbo javelin pairs competition. Under-11 pair Kevin Doyle and Jyles Gogan performed very well in very strong fields in the 600m race and 60m sprint.
In the Under-12/13 Track & Field Championship on the same day in Tullamore, Eamon Armstrong (U-12) ran brilliantly in the 60m sprint to win a silver medal and Laura Bolster (U-13) scooped a superb gold in the 60m sprint, with James Bellew fourth in the Under-12 high jump.
There were some other great performances from Cushinstown athletes who were unlucky not to place on the day. Isabella Gogan (U-12) competed in the 60m sprint and high jump, Loclainn Harris (U-13) did the 600m, Ellen Gough (U-12) competed in the 600m and Lee Callaghan (U-12) competed in the high jump and shot putt.