Irish Life Health National Junior and U23 Indoor Championships

POSTED:

TUS International Arena in Athlone is set to host an exciting day of athletics this Sunday as the Irish Life Health Junior and U23 Championships get underway. 

These Championships have a history of being notoriously competitive with this year sticking to that tradition. Over 900 athletes are registered to compete; each event stacked with emerging Irish talent, athletes will be battling it out for international competition standards and those all-important Championships medals.  

Junior Preview

Ella Scott (Leevale AC) and Lucy McGlynn (Tír Chonaill A.C) will battle it out across the 60m Hurdles.  

McGlynn is fresh after competing at the National Senior Indoor Championships where she came 8th in the 60m Hurdles final setting a PB of 8.90. McGlynn also set a 200m Personal Best this season in Athlone just seconds faster than Scott 25.68. The Donegal Mutli Eventer is also entered in the 400m race. 

Scott took home silver in the 60m Hurdles at both the AAI Games and National league Round 2.  

The Manion Twins of David and Stephen from South Galway AC will be taking to the 400m this weekend, both have held national titles in previous years and will be ones to watch going into this competition. Jed Walshe from Ratoath AC will also feature in the 400m after setting his impressive PB of 49.93 at the NIA Live Round 3 competition last month.  

Charles Okafor (Mullingar Harriers AC) will be one to watch in the 200m race, after securing a second-place finish in his heat at the National Senior Indoor Championships in February.  

Jack Kelly (Tír Chonaill A.C) is one of the favourites going into the 800m this weekend, his has had a strong season taking gold at both the Dublin Juvenile Championships in February and the National Indoor League in January. At this year's AAI Games, the Donegal man pulled an incredible 1:52.35 in 800m which puts him in contention to represent Ireland at the European Athletics U18 Championships later this year. 

After an impressive gold medal winning performance at the National Senior Indoor Championships Conor Callinan (Leevale AC) is back to compete in both the Pole Vault and the 60m. The 17-year-old set a new 60m PB in January this year at 7.01 alongside his U20 pole vault Record of 4.75m.  

Ava Rochford of Nenagh AC features in both the High Jump and the Pole Vault this weekend. Rochford recently took top spot in both events at the Munster U19 Championships last month setting a new pole vault PB at 3.40m. At the National Senior Indoor Championships, this year the 16-year-old came out on top at the women’s High Jump with a new PB of 1.78m.  

Mullingar AC’s Matthew and Andrew Glennon will be taking to the 3KM Walk, a comfortable distance for these experienced walkers.  

Matthew represented Ireland at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallin last summer.  

Andrew secured a European Athletics U18 Championships qualifying performance after coming 7th at the recent England Athletics Winter 10KM Walking Championships last month.  

U23 preview 

National U23 Records have been hotly contested by athletes such as Darragh McElhinney and Sarah Healy this indoor season, highlighting the incredible standard of talent coming up in Irish athletics. This weekend is set to show case even more of that talent.  

Israel Olatunde (UCD AC) is registered to compete for the Irish Life Health U23 60m Championships Title this weekend after taking the senior title last month. The U23 National 60m Record holder will represent Ireland at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in just 7 days' time, he secured the qualifying time while competing at the National Senior Championships and setting his new PB and the National U23 Record at 6.62 beating his own record from January this year.  

Also representing Ireland at the World Indoor Championships Olympian Robert McDonnell (Galway City Harriers AC) takes to the 60m and the 200m. The 19-year-old took the Irish Life Health National Senior 200m Indoor Championships title last month while setting his PB of 20.86. The 60m race has seen consistent performance of 6.90 from McDonnell at both the National League and the AAI Games.  

Rachel McCann (North Down AC) will also be one to watch this weekend in the 400m. McCann came sixth in the final at the National Senior Indoor Championships. In January she took top spot at the Irish Universities 400m Championships in Athlone before heading onto the British University Championships where she brought home silver. 

Multi eventer Ruby Millet (St Abban’s AC) has had a stellar season both at home and abroad, will feature in the Long Jump and 60m Hurdle events, she is also registered to compete in the 200m. Throughout this season the Laois woman has been setting a new suite of indoor PB’s such as her Long Jump PB at the of 6.42m at the Irish Life Health National Senior Indoor Championships and her 60m Hurdles PB of 8.40 at the AAI Games.  

Matthew Callinan Kennan (St Lawrence O'Toole's AC) takes to the pole vault this weekend to complete a season of unbeaten first place finishes. The Carlow native started his season with a new PB of 4.80m at the National Indoor League and has maintained his consistently powerful performance even taking the Irish life Health National Senior Indoor Pole Vault Title recently.  

Links: 

Timetable

Livestream

Results - will update on the 12th of March.  

Spectator Tickets 

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