Tullamore Harriers played host to an excellent two days of athletics this weekend (July 4th and 5th) as the 123.ie National U20 and U23 Track and Field Championships took place.
A plethora of championship records, as well as a couple of national age group records, fell, while some athletes sealed their places on the Irish team for the World Athletics U20 Championships which take place in Eugene, Oregon from August 5th to 9th.
SUNDAY
Hurdles finals got an exciting Day Two of competition underway, Orlaith Mannion (South Galway AC) sealing her selection for the World Athletics U20 Championships by winning the U20 Women’s title in 14.27 (-2.2m/s).
Decathlete Eoin O’Callaghan (Bandon AC) who is also World U20’s bound won the U20 Men’s 110m Hurdles in 14.54, while Adam Nolan (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) won yet another national title as he claimed U23 Men’s 110m Hurdles honours in 14.35.
Senior international Sean Doggett (Athenry AC) stepped down in distance to race in the U23 Men’s 200m this weekend, clocking 21.51. In the heats the Galway man had lowered his PB to 21.38 (+0.4m/s).
Dubem Amah (Tallaght AC) won the U20 Men’s 200m in 21.05. The 17-year-old had ran a new PB of 21.02 (+0.9m/s) in the heats, both times under the 21.15 qualifying standard for the World U20 Championships which he has now sealed his selection for. Destiny Lawal (Dooneen AC) won the U20 Women’s 200m in 24.39.
Four new national championships were also crowned over 5000m. Heather Murphy (St. Michael’s AC) added to her recent national half marathon and 5 mile titles by winning the U23 Women’s 5000m in 16:59.13.
Megan Brunt (Blackrock AC) won the U20 Women’s race in 16:57.98, while Lucas Lyons (North Leitrim AC) added to his recent Senior Boy’s title at the All-Ireland Schools Championships by claiming an emphatic victory in the U20 Men’s race in 14:30.11. Danny Nugent (Ace AC) won the U23 Men’s title over 12.5 laps in 14:35.96.
Two first-time national senior track champions were crowned over 10,000m. David Troy (Metro/St. Brigid’s AC) won the men’s title in 31:59.25, while Patricia Jackman (West Waterford AC) who recently made her Irish senior international debut at the European 10,000m Cup in Italy won gold in the women’s race in 34:41.19.
Des O’Neill (Raheny Shamrock AC) caused a bit of an upset in the U20 Men’s 400m Hurdles finals beating pre-race favourite and national leader Ethan Dewhirst (Tír Chonaill AC). O’Neill’s time of 51.45 broke the championship record and secured his place on the plane for the World U20 Championships, with Dewhirst who has ran 50.51 this season had to settle for second.
Lauren Kilduff (Craughwell AC) won the U20 Women’s title in the event in 60.25, while Jennifer Sawyer (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) took gold in the U23 Women’s race crossing in 60.33.
The U20 Women’s 1500m race was an exciting affair which ultimately saw Gemma Galvin (Ennis Track AC) claim victory in a time of 4:32.56, securing her place on the Irish U20 team for Oregon. Noah Harris (Parnell AC) edged the U20 Men’s final.
There was further success for Ennis Track in the U23 1500m races with their athletes Neasa Ní Ainifein and Cian O’Boyle stepping onto the top of the podium.
Ratoath AC won both U20 Men’s and Women’s 4x400m relays to conclude the track action.
In the field, Siun Quinn (Brothers Pearse AC) ensured she would be on the plane to Oregon, winning the U20 Women’s High Jump with a best clearance of 1.75m.
Ryan Onoh (Cork City AC) and Michael Kent (DMP AC) renewed their rivalry once again in the U20 Men’s Long Jump, the Cork athlete winning the battle on this occasion with a best jump of 7.31m, just 4cm ahead of Kent who had to settle for silver. Cara Ryan (Clonmel AC) jumped 5.85m to win the U20 Women’s title. Fellow Tipperary athlete Laura Frawley (Nenagh Olympic AC) jumped 6.20m (+2.4m/s) to win the U23 Women’s title.
In the Pole Vault, national senior indoor champion Meabh Corkery (Midleton AC) won the U20 Women’s title with a best clearance of 3.20m. Fionn Naughton (Leevale AC) was the best of the U20 Men, clearing 4.30m.
Darragh Fahy (Loughrea AC) broke the championship record with a 14.63m (-1.6m/s) best in the U20 Men’s Triple Jump and Patience Chinda (St. Michael’s AC) was the victor in the U20 Women’s event.
SATURDAY
On Day One of the championships, several championship records and two national u20 records fell on the track and in the field.
Séamus Clarke (Moy Valley AC) obliterated the previous national u20 record (20:21.25) in the Men’s U20 5000m Race Walk, setting a blistering new mark of 19:45.34 to win gold. Clarke now moves to sixth on the Irish senior all-time list for the event and sealed his place on the Irish team for the World Athletics U20 Championships next month. Matthew Newell (Castlegar AC) was also under the previous record, which he had held, crossing the line in 20:08.79 to move to tenth on the Irish senior all-time list.
Theo Hanlon (Suncroft AC) produced the standout performance in the field to win the Men’s U20 Shot Put in a new national age group record. His fifth round throw of 18.39m bettered the previous record that had been held by Victor Costello since 1988 by nearly two metres.
The day’s track action had opened with the 3000m Steeplechase finals. Dearbhla Allen (St. Peter’s AC) was a class apart in the U20 Women’s event, comfortably winning gold in 10:43.49. Clubmate Jack Dee triumphed in the U23 Men’s race.
Dubem Amah (Tallaght AC) showed his class by running in the 10.5’s in both the heat and the final of the U20 Men’s 100m. Amah’s winning time of 10.54 (+0.6m/s) in the final was a new PB and saw him pull clear of the field in a quality display of sprinting.
His clubmate Gloria Oigbochie made it a Tallaght one-two by winning the U20 Women’s 100m in a PB of 11.99 (+1.3m/s). Lucas Fadden (Galway City Harriers) won the U23 Men’s 100m, while Leila Colfer (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) won a tight U23 Women’s 100m, where only 0.03 of a second separated the top four.
With relay spots on the line for the World Athletics U20 Championships the U20 Women’s 400m was never going to disappoint. Maria Zakharenko (Kilcoole AC) clocked 54.64 to win gold, ahead of silver medallist Erin Friel (54.72, Letterkenny AC) and bronze medallist Sofia Granjo (55.05, St. Laurence O’Toole AC).
Jennifer Sawyer (St. Laurence O’Toole AC) had never broken 55 seconds for 400m but smashed that barrier and the 54-second one, to win the U23 Women’s gold medal in 53.81. Darragh Murphy (UCD AC) won the U23 Men’s title, with Alex Leonard (Donore Harriers) claiming victory in the U20 Men’s one-lap final.
All 800m races were run as straight finals on day one. Pia Langton (Kilkenny City Harriers) was pushed all the way to the line by U18 athlete Freya Bateman (Belgooly AC). Langton’s winning time of 2:08.15 is a new championship record; Bateman also bettered the previous best. Bobby More (Bray Runners) executed his race-plan to perfection to win the U20 Men’s 800m final in a championship record of 1:50.49.
Crusaders AC impressed in the 4x100m relays which concluded the track action, their quartet combining to run a new U23 Men’s championship record of 42.82.
Curtis Ford (Lagan Valley AC) was a big winner in the U20 Men’s Javelin throwing 62.31m to win gold. Andrew Scanlon (Leevale AC) won the U23 Men’s title in the event.
Thomas Williams (Shercock AC) won yet another national title in the U20 Men’s Hammer Throw with a best of 61.38m, while Caoimhe Gallen (Lifford Strabane AC) won the U20 Women’s competition.
Irish U23 record holder Anna Gavigan (Lambay Sports Academy) was just outside her own championship record in the Women’s Discus Throw, her 53.92m third round effort however did earn her gold.
In the Weight for Distance Kotryna Pacerinskate (Fanahan McSweeney AC) smashed her own championship record with a best throw of 8.89m. Pacerinskate also won gold in the U23 Women’s Hammer Throw and Shot Put, a remarkable hat-trick of throws medals.
