GloHealth Senior Champs Throws Preview
There is only four days to go until the 2014 GloHealth Senior Track and Field Championships which take place this weekend in Morton Stadium, Santry. Over 500 of Ireland’s club athletes are expected to take part guaranteeing an action packed weekend of athletics.
Shot Putt
In the men’s Shot Putt event Colin Quirke (Crusaders AC) and Sean Breathnach (Galway City Harriers AC) are expected to battle it out for the GloHealth National title. Quirke currently tops the 2014 rankings with a throw of 16.58m with Breathnach ranked second with his season’s best throw of 16.30m. Junior athlete John Kelly (Finn valley AC) is also in the line-up and after just missing qualification for the World Junior Championships he will be hungry for success in Santry.
Claire Fitzgerald (Tralee Harriers) will start as the firm favourite in the women’s event as she continues her progress in the senior ranks. There is likely to be a great battle for the podium positions with Fiona Moloney (Doneen AC), Alana Frattaroli (Limerick AC), Niamh Murphy (Blarney/Inniscara AC) and Laura McSweeney (Bandon AC) all in the mix.
Discus
Fitzgerald will attempt to double up as she contests her specialist Discus event having thrown 51.14m already this year. Fitzgerald represented Ireland in the Discus last year at the European U23 championships in Tampere, Finland. Another of those attempting to double up is Quirke as he heads the 2014 top lists with a throw of 55.41m set in Clermont, Florida on the 5th of May. Marco Pons (D.M.P AC) won the GloHealth U23 title in Cork on the 6th of July setting a new personal best of 50.11m
Hammer
Conor McCullough (Crusaders AC) starts as the outstanding favourite in the men’s hammer having thrown 77.20m in Edmonton on the 6th of July. The throw puts him over 10m clear of his nearest rival Dempsey McGuigan (Finn Valley AC). McGuigan is starting to find his feet in the senior ranks; he has thrown a personal best this year of 66.62m at the LSU Invitational on the 3rd of May. McGuigan also won the national title in the hammer at the U23 championships in Cork.
The women’s hammer event is set to be a much closer affair with Aoife Hickey (Kilkenny City Harriers AC) not competing due to an injury. This leaves the door wide open for Cara Kennedy (Ferrybank AC), Alice Akers (Marian AC), Megan Moynihan (West Muskerry AC) and Aoife Vaughan Witts (Borrisokane AC) to bag themselves a national senior title.
Javelin
Irish Javelin record holder Anita Fitzgibbon (Dundrum South Dublin AC) is back to defend her title. Fitzgibbon produced the performance of her life at the 2013 nationals to win the title and throw a national record of 54.92m. Denise Byrne (Clonliffe Harriers AC), Patricia Curtin (Youghal AC) and Jenny Murphy (Abbey Striders AC) who are all closely matched on the 2014 rankings will battle it out for a spot on the podium.
A trio of decathletes are set to take on the specialists in the men’s Javelin event. Michael Bowler (Kilkenny City Harriers AC), Shane Aston (Trim AC) and Koroush Foroughi (Star of the Sea) all recorded personal bests in the Decathlon in Madeira on the 5th-6th of July. Rory Gunning (Fr Murphy’s) is the highest ranked athlete on the 2014 lists entered into the competition. Gunning is in the shape of his life having set a new personal best of 58.38m on the 22nd of June at the Nationa League.