Mounthawk set national 4x100 relay record
Tessa Dennison
RECORDS tumbled amid some stellar performances at the Irish Life Health All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore last Saturday, with Mercy Mounthawk setting a new national record in the Intermediate boys 4x100m relay.
The first medal of the day came courtesy of Fiona Doyle (Intermediate School Killorglin) when she won bronze in the Senior Girls high jump and after that the medals came thick and fast. There was gold for Katelyn Reid (Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne) in the Junior Girls javelin, Niamh O’Mahoney (Pres Tralee) who led from the gun in the Intermediate Girls 3,000m and Ciara Kennelly (St Brigid’s Killarney) in the Intermediate Girls high jump.
Alyce O’Connor (Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine) won silver in the Intermediate Girls 1,500m and Michael Tony (Colaiste Ide agus Iosef) won silver in the Intermediate Boys triple jump.
By far the most exciting events of the day came courtesy of the boys from Mercy Mounthawk Tralee. Cillian Griffin took joint individual bronze in the Intermediate Boys 100m, in a blanket finish that saw the top four athletes all finish with 11 seconds on the clock. After a nail-biting wait, which saw the timing examined down to 1/1000th of a second, there was nothing to separate them and joint third place was awarded on a time of 10.984 – with second place 10.983 and first 10.98.
Beating hearts had barely settled before the school’s Intermediate boys 4 x 100m relay team took to the track. Fresh from breaking the Munster record, they had everything to prove. In a performance that left the commentators speechless, Melvyn Shalemba, Luke O’Carroll, Basit Oyebanji and Cillian Griffin took the baton round safely around the track in 43.19 seconds for a new national record.
Shalemba of also won bronze in Intermediate boys 200m.
The Mercy Mounthawk Senior Girls 4 x 300m relay team of Ciara McCarthy, Rachel Bowler, Orla O’Reilly and Diana Nagle, put in a gutsy performance for bronze in a time well within the old record.
MEANWHILE, in Ennis the county’s U-9 to U-13 athletes were competing in the Munster juvenile championships. Lios Tuathail had a great championship with Amy O’Connor taking gold in the U-11 girls 60m in a new Munster record
IRISH SCHOOLS TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Minor Girls
4 x 100 m Relay: Pres. Listowel - 7th Shot Putt: Aine O’Shea, Mercy Mounthawk - 7th (8.34m)
Minor Boys
800m: Cian Spillane, Pres. Milltown - 4th (2.11)
Shot Putt: Padraig McCarthy, St. Michaels Listowel - 8th (10.95m)
Long Jump: Paddy Falvey, Tralee CBS - 11th (4.42m)
Junior Girls
800m: Deirdre Kelly, Colaiste na Sceilge - 6th (2.25)
Shot Putt: Kirby Anne Ryan, Mercy Mounthawk - 7th (10.35m)
Javelin: Katelyn Reid, Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne - 1st (38.69m)
Long Jump: Rebecca Falvey, Mercy Mounthawk - 6th (5.15m)
Junior Boys
of 9.09 seconds and silver in the long jump.
There was also gold for Saoirse Dillon in the U-12 girls 60m.
Discus Patrick: Kearney, St. Brendans Killarney - 5th (30.13m)
Triple Jump: Ronan Pearce, Tralee CBS - 9th (10.08m)
Intermediate Girls
1,500m: Alyce O’Connor, PS Inbhear Sceine, Kenmare - 2nd (4.42)
3,000m: Niamh O’Mahony, Pres. Tralee - 1st (10.12)
Javelin: Siofra Foley, Pres. Killarney - 12th (16.70)
High Jump: Ciara Kennelly, Pres. Killarney - 1st (1.70m)
Intermediate Boys
Steve Reidy won silver in the U-10 boys 60m. In the relays the Lios Tuathail U-10 and U-12 girls 4 x 100m team took silver and
100m: Cillian Griffin, Mercy Mounthawk - joint-3rd (10.98)
200m: Mervyn Shalemba, Mercy Mounthawk - 3rd (22.4)
3,000m: Oisin Spillane, Mercy Mounthawk - 9th (9.45)
4 x 100m Relay: Mercy Mounthawk 1st (43.19)*
Shot Putt: David Siegel, Tralee CBS - 2nd (13.29)
Discus: Aaron Malik, Mercy Mounthawk - 6th (35.93m) there was bronze for their U-11 boys relay team.
Tralee Harriers medal winners were Sean Murphy, gold in U-10
Senior Girls
4 x 300m Relay: Mercy Mounthawk 3rd (2.58)
Hammer: Leanne Cronin, Killorglin CC 6th (32.53)
High Jump: Fiona Doyle, Intermediate School Killorglin - 3rd (1.60)
Long Jump: Rachel Bowler, Mercy Mounthawk - 4th (5.26m)
Triple Jump: Rachel Bowler, Mercy Mounthawk - 7th (10.4m)
Senior Boys
400m: Darragh Lowth, Tralee CBS - 6th (52.27)
4 x 400m Relay: Mercy Mounthawk - 8th (3.48)
High Jump: Darragh Courtney, Mercy Mounthawk - 3rd (1.90)
Mile U16 Girls: Muireann de Faoite, PS Inbhear Sceine - 11th (6.15)
* New record for Mercy Mounthawk in the Intermediate 4x100m relay (M Shalemba, L O’Carroll, B Oyebanji, C Griffin.)
The previous record was 43.69 set by Bandon Grammar School in 2014. boys turbo javelin with a new Munster record of 22.53m, Fionnan Ryan silver in U-12 boys turbo javelin, Stephen Harty silver in U-9 boys long jump, Laura Falvey bronze in U-11 girls 60m.
Competing for Kenmare was Luke Merrigan who took gold in the U-10 boys 500m. Kevin O’Shea (Farranfore Maine Valley) won silver in the U-12 boys turbo javelin.
Finishing just outside the medals in fourth place, but putting in strong performances, were Lios Tuathail athletes Kate Sheridan U-9 girls long jump, Tally Collins U-11 girls long jump, Dylan O’Callaghan U-11 boys 60m, Steve Reidy U-10 boys long jump, John Carmody U-12 boys shot and Harry Reidy U-12 boys javelin.
Doireann O’Shea (Farranfore Maine Valley) was fourth in U-13 girls javelin as was Stephanie Reid (An Riocht) in U-12 girls javelin, Danielle O’Riordan (Gneeveguilla) likewise in U-13 girls shot, and Lucy O’Connor (Tralee Harriers) in U-12 girls long jump.
Best of luck to everyone who has qualified for the national finals in July.