Micro meet delivered a weekend of top displays

Ray Flynn reviews the Athletics Ireland Elite Micro Meet that saw the Sligo-based Dubliner John Travers and Grange’s Christopher O’Donnell both take gold medals thanks to outstanding performances

ATHLETICS Ireland’s Elite Micro Meet had a bit of a ring to it. An inventive name for an athletics meeting born out of necessity to get our elite athletes active with the European Athletics Indoor Championships looming.

Covid-19 had wiped out our indoor season with our national championships cancelled. Sport Ireland and our government came to the table kicking and screaming, but common sense won the day and last weekend we were treated to a super athletics meeting at the National Athletics arena in Abbottstown.

On Sunday evening we ended up with one Irish senior record, four U-23 records and four Junior records over both days, with 20 athletes achieving European qualifying marks.

One of those who will be on the plane to Poland in 10 days’ time will be our adopted Sligo man John Travers. He ran literally one of the races of his life to win the men’s 3000 metres in a lifetime best of 7 minutes 50 seconds, taking an incredible five seconds off his personal best time.

This performance came in his first race of the year and only a couple of short weeks since the untimely death of his coach and mentor Jerry Kiernan. Indeed, Jerry was uppermost in his mind as Travers followed the early pace and it was with 500 metres to go that he unleashed his trademark finishing burst – running the last 400

Irish Life Health Athletics Ireland Indoor Micro Meet

MEN’S 3,000 METRES: 1, John Travers (Donore Harriers) 7:50.40 MEN’S 400 METRES: 1, Christopher O’Donnell (North Sligo AC) 47.51 seconds

metres in a lung-bursting 55 seconds to claim victory.

“Jerry was definitely looking down on me. I held my head like he would have wanted me to.”

“Qualifying for the Euro indoors was one of our plans for this year and I’m delighted to have done that. I was really motivated and I know I done Jerry proud,” said John when I spoke to him on Monday. The European Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland will be another story but John is no longer going just to get experience and he has set his sights on making the final of the 3,000 metres. If he is in the leading pack with 400 metres to go then anything can happen.

Another Sligo athlete who came away from Abbottstown on Sunday evening with a win was young North Sligo AC runner Christopher O Donnell.

Once again Chris has proved to be our leading 400 metres runner

“With a record number of 24 athletes selected for the European Indoor Championships and some realistic chances of medals, things are good in our sport.”