Olympic race walker Gillian O’Sullivan is inducted into Kerry Athletics Hall of Fame
OLYMPIAN Gillian O’Sullivan has been inducted into the Kerry Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding career as a race walker, which saw her compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and medal at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.
O’Sullivan, from Minish outside Killarney, was a popular winner of the Hall of Fame award at Kerry Athletics annual awards in Killarney on Saturday where a star-studded room full of the county’s best juvenile, junior, senior and masters athletes were present. There were 27 county awards awarded along with 20 club awards.
The Hall of Fame, sponsored by Trophy World, went to the trail-blazing international race-walker O’Sullivan, who started her athletics as a juvenile when she joined Farranfore Maine Valley AC.
She went on to represent Ireland at the highest level, finishing 10th in the 20k walk at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and breaking the World 5k walk record. She then went on to win a silver medal at the 20k walk at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. She is a most deserving recipient to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and an inspiration to all the aspiring young athletes in Kerry.
International athletes David Kenny (Farranfore Maine Valley) and Sarah Leahy (Killarney Valley) won the Senior Track & Field awards whilst An Riocht’s Shona Heaslip and Oisin Murray won the road running and cross-country running awards respectively.
A new award, Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Gneeveguilla AC in memory of the late athletics stalwart Tom Joe Donoghue,
was presented to Jerome Crowley of Farranfore Maine Valley for his many years of voluntary service to athletics. Jerome has been involved in athletics all his life and has officiated at county, provincial and national level. He did his first coaching course at the Summer School of Athletics in Dublin in 1962 and still helps at club training.
Mr Crowley explained that athletics is one of the oldest sports and he believes it benefits young people enormously, for example cross-country is considered one of the best events to teach resilience. The rules are few, simple and straightforward and for that reason are very fair. He enjoys meeting all the athletes and fellow officials at competitions.
Kerry Athletics awards winners
County Track and Field awards
Juvenile Men - Kieran Keane, An Riocht
Junior Men - Dara Looney, Killarney Valley
Senior Men - David Kenny, Farranfore Maine Valley Master Men - Ger Cremin, An Riocht, Patsy O’Connor, Tralee Harriers
Juvenile Women - Chloe O’Flaher ty, Lios Tuathail Junior Women - Kirby-Ann Ryan, Tralee Harriers Senior Women - Sarah Leahy, Killarney Valley
Master Women - Sheila O’Donoghue, Gneeveguilla
County cross-country awards
Juvenile Men - Ryan Vickers, Farranfore Maine Valley Junior Men - Shane Brosnan, An Riocht
Senior Men - Oisin Murray, An Riocht
Master Men - Kevin Griffin, An Riocht
Juvenile Women - Meabh O’Connor, An Riocht
Junior Women - Grace O’Meara, Killarney Valley Senior Women - Shona Heaslip, An Riocht
Master Women - Niamh O’Sullivan, An Riocht
Club award winners
An Riocht - Nicole Walker, Liam Rohan
Farranfore Maine Valley - Róisín Daly, Kevin O’Shea Gneeveguilla - Áine O’Riordan, Bríanna Sheahan Iveragh - Kevin Horgan, Lucy O’Connell
Killarney Valley - Anna O’Shea, Cian O’Brien
Lios Tuathail - Dylan O’Callaghan, Sophie O’Flaher ty St Brendan’s - Eoin Malik, Zach Walshe
Spa Fenit Barrow - Seona McElligott, Dara Harry
Star of the Laune - Sam O’Shea, Emma Cahillane Tralee Harriers - Conor Crean, Amanda Duyille
Special Merit awards
Alan Delaney - Killarney Valley
Brendan O’Leary - Lios Tuathail
Amy Pollman-Daamen - An Riocht
Ciara Kennelly - Killarney Valley
International awards
Jason O’Reilly - Killarney Valley
Oisin Lynch - Killarney Valley
Brian Murphy - Iveragh AC
Ann Mangan - Star of the Laune
Volunteer of the Year
Jermone Crowley, Farranfore Maine Valley
Hall of Fame recipient
Gillian O’Sullivan, Farranfore Maine Valley
Kerry Track & Field Championships The upcoming outdoor season the Kerry Track & Field Championships will take place at An Riocht AC in Castleisland on the following dates:
Sunday May 5: U-9 to U-20 T&F County Championships Day 1
Monday May 6: U-9 to U-20 T&F County Championship’s Day 2
Sunday May 12: Senior & Master T&F County Championships
Heaslip second in Battersea Park 5k Shona Heaslip (An Riocht AC) was on action in London on Saturday taking second place in the elite 5k race in Battersea Park behind Finnish international Nina Chydenius, in a great time of 15:51. Heaslip’s clubmate Niamh O’Sullivan also ran, winning the W60 category in a time of 19:59.
Patrick O’Riordan, RIP
Deepest condolences from all at Kerry Athletics to the family, friends and clubmates of Patrick O’Riordan, who died at the weekend. Patrick was the club president of St. Brendan’s AC. He had been an active athlete and official since the late 1960s and his legacy will last for many years to come. His last race was in 2018 and he had won two All-Ireland masters medals in 2017.