Euro Junior QT for Irwin & Neville at GloHealth Schools Champs

Zak Irwin (Sligo Grammar) and Ciara Neville (Castletroy College) both achieved European Junior Standards at the GloHealth All Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday, 30th of May.  A high quality day of competition unfolded with over a 1,000 young athletes from 366 schools taking part at the prestigious championships.

European Junior Qualifying Standards

Irwin blasted from the blocks in the senior boy’s 100m to take the win in a time of 10.60 seconds which was comfortable inside the required standard for the European Junior Championships (10.65). Later in the 200m event Sean Lawlor (Kylemore College) got the better of Irwin to win the senior title in a time of 21.51 seconds.

Another athlete scorching down the track was Neville as she claimed a classy sprint double in the 100m and 200m (23.99 W +2.6) events. Her time in the 100m of 11.64 seconds is inside the required standard for the European juniors (11.75). Other athletes impressing in the sprint events included Phoebe Murphy (Loreto Clonmel) in the senior girls as she won the 100m title in a time of 11.72 (W +3.2) and  the 200m in a time of 24.21 (W + 2.6).

At junior level Aaron Sexton (Bangor Grammar) was in superb form winning the 100m (11.06) and the 200m in a time of 22.47, the 200m time was a new championship best performance.

Walsh Outstanding in the Throws

Michaela Walsh (SM & P Swinford) was in outstanding form in the throws event as she easily won the shot putt and hammer titles. Walsh achieved a particularly eye catching performance in the hammer event throwing a massive distance of 63.76m to set a new championship best performance.

In the junior girl’s hammer event Jade Williams (Bailieborough CS) dominated proceedings setting a new CBP of 54m. Alice Akers (Scariff CC) did likewise in the senior girl’s hammer launching it out to 56.20m. Kate O’Connor (SV Dundalk) was a class apart in the junior girl’s javelin as she set a new CBP of 43.77m. Eoin Sheridan (St Finians) won the senior boy’s discus event with a 50.62m throw as Anu Awonusi (Kilkenny College) dominated the senior boy’s shot putt with a throw of 17.11m.

Mulcaire Eases to Victory

Irish junior record holder Kevin Mulcaire (St Flannans Ennis) eased to victory in the senior boy’s 5,000m event in a time of 14.52. Mulcaire wound up the pace after a slow opening first kilometre to easily claim the Irish schools title. Nadia Power (St Mac Dara’s) and Andrew Corscoran (St Mary’s Drogheda) won the senior 1500m titles in respective times of 4.50.74 and 4.01.53.

Hope Saunders (Mount Temple) dipped under ten minutes in the senior girl’s 3,000m to win the title in a time of 9.56.88. Jack O’Leary (Clongowes Wood College) won the 2,000m steeplechase in a time of 6.03.67. James Edgar (Friends School) produced a strong final 400m to win the inter boy’s 3,000m title in a time of 8.55.18. Kevin McGrath (St Pats Navan) was a class apart in the inter boy’s 800m as he coasted to victory in a time of 1.57.22. Another impressing in the middle distance events was local athlete Mark Milner (Scoil Choilm Tullamore) in the junior boy's 800m. Milner won the title in a time of 1.57.58 becoming the first junior athlete to break the two minute barrier at the All-Ireland Schools Championships.

There was new CBP’s set in the U16 mile events with Laura Ward (Presentation Carlow) winning the girl’s event in a time of 5.15.12 and Rory Lodge (St Kieran’s) the boy’s title in a time of 4.31.74. Eimear Fitzpatrick (Our Lady’s Terenure) was another of those in record breaking form as she set a new championship best in the 1500m steeplechase with a time of 5.09.33

Hurdles

Irish junior record holder Matthew Behan (CUS) dominated the senior boy’s 110m hurdles event claiming the title in a time of 13.90, but unfortunately the wind reading was slightly over the allowable limit (+2.6). Molly Scott (Scoil Chonglais) excelled in the intermediate 80m hurdles event winning the title in a time of 11.08. Simon Essuman (Templeogue College) was the standout performer in the long hurdles winning the intermediate boy’s 400m hurdles title in a time of 54.97.

Morland on the Double

The multi-talented Elizabeth Morland (Dunshaughlin AC) collected two Irish schools titles in the senior girl’s high jump and long jump competitions. The combined event athlete won the high jump with a clearance of 1.65 and the long jump with a distance of 5.88m. Sophie Meredith (Newcastle West) set a new CBP of 5.67m in the junior girl’s long jump competition, equally impressive was Keith Marks (Ashbourne CS) in the senior boy’s long jump as he won the title with a distance of 7.21m. In the intermediate category Daniel Ryan (Thurles CBS) won the long jump title equelling the record with a jump of 7.10m and also impressively won the 100m hurdles title with a time of 13.07 seconds.

David Cussen (Spioraid Naoimh) cleared an impressive 2.05m in the high jump to win the senior title. Sommer Lecky (Strabane Academy) won the inter girl’s high jump title with a 1.72m clearance. Jana Joha (Col Iosagain) set a new CBP of 10.61m in the junior girl’s triple jump.