Day 1 of Leinster schools to provide feast of athletics
Feast of athletics in Morton Stadium
Day 1 of the Irish Life Health Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships will see a feast of athletics in Morton Stadium tomorrow (May 16).
There will be a sea of events on the track and the field with an early start for the throwers. The main competitors on day 1 will be the minor and junior age groups with the majority of intermediate and senior events taking place on Saturday (May 19).
Some throwers looking to make their mark in the girls section include Kate Kelly (St Oliver's Drogheda) in the junior shot, Precious Imaseum, (Le Cheile junior) in the junior discus, Laura Cunningham (Eureka Kells) in the intermediate hammer and Amy Forde (Loreto Wexford) in the senior hammer.
Belvedere College will be looking to score well in the throwing events as they bid to win respective team boys titles as will St Vincent’s Dundalk in the girls.
The junior 1200m walks get the track programme underway with St Finian’s of Mullingar pair Amanda Klimova and Andrew Glennon amongst those looking to get into the medals and qualify for the Irish Life Health All Ireland Schools in Tullamore on June 2nd with a top three placing.
The sprints events always sees tougher qualification for a coveted trip to the Tullamore Harriers stadium in June with only two to advance.
There should be good competition in the senior high hurdles races with Valentinos Goularas (Marino College) and Alex Clerkin (Castleknock CC) among a good field in the senior boys 110m hurdles.
Similarly in the senior girls 100m hurdles Alison Burke (St Dominic's College) will face Ruby Millet (Kilkenny College).
The steeplechase always draws attraction with the water jump being the key to success. Roisin Tracey (St Gerard’s) will be among those fancied in the intermediate girls’ 1500m Steeplechase. In the senior 1500m Danielle Donegan (SHS Tullamore), Eva Cummins (Greenhills Drogheda)and Aoibhinn McGoldrick (HF Clontarf) will duke it out.
Some to watch out for in the intermediate boys 1500m steeplechase are James Hyland (St Fintan's Sutton), John Fanning (Belvedere College) and Eoin Richards (Maynooth PP). Eoghan Keaney (Terenure College) will be looking to add the Leinster title to his West Leinster crown in the senior boys 2,000m ‘chase.
Back down in distance to the sprints and there will be a familiar face in Shane Gevero (CBC Monkstown) in the junior boys 100m – he won the All Ireland Schools minor title last year. There will be plenty of up-and-coming talent on show in the minor and junior 100m sprints.
The 200m will also see some action with 200m with Nadislane Kabongo (St Colmcille's CS) in the junior girls among a posse of sprinters looking to whip around the bend and into the medals.
Similarly in the middle distance we see the minor and junior tackle the 500m, 1,100m, 800m and 1500m with the U16s taking on the imperial mile.
Sophie Quinn (Mount Sackville) takes to the track in the minor girls 800m having won the All Ireland Cross Country title last March. Victor Eseosa (St Joseph's Drogheda) is familiar with the medal rostrum and goes in the junior boys 800m.
Some to look out for in the 1500m are Ava O'Connor (Scoil Chroist Ri) in the junior girls and in the junior boys, Scott Fagan (Luttrellstown CC) will be amongst those in contention along with Morgan Mac An Chléirigh (Coláiste Eoin)
Orla Reidy (Maynooth PP) and Sean Donohue (St Declan's CBS) will be looking to make their mark in respective mile races.
There will be high drama and excitement in the minor and junior 4x100m relays along with the 4x300m in the U16.
The jumps will see many looking to go high and long. Michael Raggert (St Kieran's Kilkenny) is amongst the junior boys’ high jump competitors while in the junior boys’ pole vault, Adam Nolan (Scoil Chonglais), Fintan Gunne (St Michael's College) and John Gilsenan (St Michael's College) will be aiming to go high.
Among the girls will be Ava Madden (Temple Carrig) in the junior high jump and Aeyla Orr (St Vincent’s Dundalk) in the minor long jump.