Busy bees!
After so long out of competition, with competition action opening up again we have been busy bees during the last four weeks.
NATIONAL U23 AND JUNIOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
We sent four of our club’s emerging talents to Morton Stadium, Santry for the U20 (junior) and U23 championships on the weekend of June 19/20. Two of our U23s came home with our first national medals of the year when 400 metre hurdlers Katie Walsh and Ciarán Nugent took silver and bronze respectively in their races. Great to see these two training buddies still competing at national level after over a decade jumping the barriers in one of athletics toughest events.
Sprinter Sam Judd pulled on his spikes both days in the 100 and 200 metre junior races. Sam was third in his heat of the 200m on Saturday but missed out on a place in the final with the 10th fastest time of the day. In the 100m heats on Sunday he ran well in the fastest heat of the day but again didn’t make the one of the 8 lanes in the final.
Daire O’Sullivan toed the line in the junior A 1500m race and clocked a time very close to his PB to take 12th overall out of 31 participating.
NATIONAL SENIOR T&F
Only one of our members made the journey up the M8 again to Santry for the senior championships last weekend. Daire O’Sullivan raced again in the 1,500s and this time he was up against some of Ireland’s premier athletes. Daire ran a PB in the third heat of 4:08.9 but didn’t advance to the final in this prestigious event. To go to nationals and produce your best ever run is all that can be asked of any athlete and Daire did this in his first appearance at a senior national race.
EAST CORK ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS
As soon as the easing of restrictions allowed the East Cork Athletics Division board were straight out of the blocks and organised what must have been the first road race in the country.
A huge credit is due to the board and it’s working members who so professionally and responsibly got people back doing what athletics is all about, competing.
A wonderful night of racing was had in a slightly damp village of Ballynoe where 43 women and 71 men raced for individual and team accolades.
In the ladies race Carraig na bhFear AC’s Jennifer Goggin Walsh took a terrific victory with a powerful finish up the steep hill that defines the lap which makes up the now legendary course. Our ladies team of Sinead Kearney, Daisy Horan and Lauren Murphy were 6th on the night.
Our men’s team were led manfully by 16 year old Timmy Hawkins and 17 year old David Maher who were 18th and 23rd respectively in what was an stellar field of senior male athletes. Michael Mulcahy and Richard Hawkins (Timmy’s dad) completed the line up to match the women’s 6th overall. Timmy and Richard also made a bit of club history by being the first father son duo to represent in a championship race together.
EAST CORK SENIOR, MASTERS AND JUNIOR TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS
The East Cork board again lost no time in organising and running off a track competition for its senior and junior athletes. As access to a tartan track is difficult in Cork the races were run on Carraig na bhFear ACs training grounds in Coláiste an Chroí Naofa on our 100m and 300m grass tracks. A terrific evening of racing took place with races over 100m, 300m, 1500m and 3000m for men and women in the senior, masters and U20 age groups. The highlight of the evening was the inter club 4 x 300m mixed relay where two men and two women representing each affiliated club vied for bragging rights until they meet again. A hatful of medals were taken by our wonderful athletes with our A team taking the relay title and notable performances from David Maher winning the 3000m race overall and Emma Akinkoulie winning both 100 and 300 junior races after a year out recovering from cruciate surgery and rehabilitation.
MTU TRACK NIGHTS
Cork Track Club partnered up with MTU to host two very successful track meets nearly immediately after the go ahead was given to do so. A great number of our junior and a few senior athletes jumped at the chance to compete, laying down lots of PBs to boot.
First year juniors Rebecca Kelleher, Eoin Quirke and Timmy Hawkins impressed in the middle distance races and Isobel O’Meara, Lily O’Riordan and Caoimhe Geoghegan made their adult grade debuts in the sprints and field events also.
Huge credit has to be given to the organisers who have displayed a kind of get up and go attitude that is an example to those who have procrastinated and not facilitated the competition that athletes deserve and crave. Huge round of applause to Ian O’Sullivan and all at Cork Track Club and MTU.
BANTEER OPEN SPORTS
North Cork AC were another club who put on a terrific traditional open sports in Banteer on Saturday, 19th for younger juveniles all the way up to juniors. A number of our members took part in a valuable competition before the Munsters this weekend. Stand out performances were Dylan Mulcahy who was on three podiums in the U14 age group, Aidan Maher and Áine Sheridan also featured on the top steps in the U16 category.
LOOK FORWARD
This coming weekend sees the beginning of the Munster underage track and field championships for U12 to 19 year olds. Our track focused athletes will be competing and hoping to get through to qualify for the precious national final places. Good luck to all.
On Monday night, July 5 the first day of East Cork Athletics Division underage championships takes place in Youghal for our younger athletes U9s, 10s and 11s.