Euro Long Jump Standard for Adam McMullen

European Indoor Standard for Adam McMullen

Adam McMullen (Crusaders AC) produced a lifetime best in the long jump to take the title with 7.80m to hit the standard for the European Indoors and move to second on the all-time list.  This improves impressively on his best of 7.48m indoors. While Sam Healy (Leevale AC) finished in second place jumping 7.53m to break the old record of 7.37m held by Ciaran McDonagh since 1995 adding to his Junior 60m Hurdles record.

Kervick Moves to Eighth in Europe

Dara Kervick (Clonliffe Harriers A.C) took the Men’s 400m in 46.53 significantly improving on his personal best of 46.80 set in the heats which secured the 47.20 qualification standard for European Indoor Athletics Championships which takes place in Prague 6-8 March.  This time moves him to eighth the European rankings and fifth in the Irish All-Time best list.

19 year olds Paul Murphy (Ferrybank A.C.) and Harry Purcell (Trim AC) were second and third with 47.62 and 48.33 respectively. 400m Hurdle specialist Christine McMahon (Ballymena and Antrim AC) won the women’s 400m title in a time of 55.06. 18 year Jenna Bromell (Emerald AC) finished second in a huge new personal best of 55.16 with defending champion Sinead Denny (Dundrum South Dublin AC) third in 55.21 seconds.

Mark Impresses Ahead of European Indoors

A day after securing the European standard for Prague Mark English (UCD AC) returned to contest the 800m final at the GloHealth National Indoor Championships. English was happy to sit mid pack for the majority of the race until a little over 200m remaining when he surged to the front to capture the national title in a time of 1.51.34. Declan Murray (Clonliffe Harriers AC) finished second in a time of 1.51.53 with Niall Tuohy (Ferrybank AC) third in a time of 1.52.35.

Another athlete with Prague on her mind is Ciara Everard (UCD AC) as she showed her class to win the women’s 800m title in a time of 2.06.63. Fellow UCD teammate Aisling Crossey was third in 2.09.29 with Fiona Kehoe (Kilmore AC) third in a time of 2.10.97

Proper makes it a Record 19 Titles

Kelly Proper (Ferrybank AC) completed a hat trick of national titles winning the 60m, 200m and Long Jump bringing her total indoor titles to a record 19. Proper set a new stadium record of 23.27 in the 200m just off the needed standard of 23.20 for the World Championships in Beijing and brings her to number one in European Ranking list over the distance.

Proper was also agonisingly close to the 60m European Indoor standard of 7.36 when winning in 7.38.  The young 16 year old Ciara Neville (Emerald AC) finished second in 7.46 having set a new youth record in the heat of 7.45. Catherine McManus (Celtic DCH) took the bronze in 7.50 equalling her personal best.  Proper had won the Long Jump yesterday with a leap of 6.22m.

There was an upset in the Men’s 60m when Keith Pike (Clonliffe Harriers A.C.) took the title in 6.86 with Marcus Lawler (SLOT) second (6.90) and Zak Irwin (Sligo AC) third in 6.92 seconds. Lawler returned later in the programme to storm to victory in the 200m in a new stadium record of 21.08.

Travers Kicks for Home in Men’s 1500m

Danny Mooney took out the pace in the opening laps of the 1,500m with John Travers (Donore Harriers AC) happy to sit mid pack. Under instruction from his coach Jerry Kiernan Travers made a big move with 300m remaining to blow the field open with a sub 40 second last 300m. Travers crossed the line in 3.49.93 with Eoin Everard (Kilkenny City Harriers AC) second and Joe Warne (Doheny AC) third.

Claire Tarplee (Dundrum South Dublin AC) was leading the women’s 1,500m before falling ten metres short of the line. Kerry Harty (Newcastle AC) who had made much of the early running won the title in a time of 4.16.49 with Laura Crowe (An Riocht AC) finishing second and Tarplee third in a time of 4.23.07.

In the men’s 3,000m Paul Pollock (Annadale Striders AC) was a comfortable winner of the title in a time of 8.09.81. Pollock already has the standard for the Europeans having already gone sub 8 at the BMC meet in Sheffield earlier in the season.

Hurdle Win’s For O’Donnell & McManus

Gerard O’Donnell (Carrick on Shannon AC) lived up to his favourite billing to claim the 60m Hurdles national indoor title. Despite clipping the first couple of hurdles O’Donnell powered to victory in a time of 8.32 seconds. It has been a breakthrough season for O’Donnell having run 7.73 seconds at the IFAM meeting on the 7th of February, which was inside the European qualification standard of 7.78 seconds.  Catherine McManus (Celtic DCH AC) equalled her personal best to win the women’s 60m hurdles title in a time of 8.44 seconds.

Barry Pender Just Misses Out European Indoor Standard

There was more drama in the in-field when Barry Pender (St. Abbans AC) attempted to clear 2.22m to hit the European Indoor Standard narrowly hitting the bar in his final attempt having cleared a personal best of 2.20m.  While Kourosh Foroughi (Star of the Sea AC) also attempted the height after clearing 2.17m to finish in second place.

Stadium Record for Breathnach

Sean Breathnach (Galway City Harriers AC) set a new stadium record in the Shot Putt with a throw of 17.42m. This added nearly 30 centimetres to his own record which he set on the 1st of February, it was also a fifth straight national indoor title for the powerful Galway athlete.