Dublin Clubs activities, 22 - 23 February 2025

HEALY AND DOYLE MAKE IT A DUBLIN DOUBLE AT NATIONAL INDOORS

Runaway wins for Dublin athletes Sarah Healy and Cathal Doyle in the 1500m races were among the highlights of the All Ireland Indoor Championships  held at Abbotstown, Dublin, over the weekend. In the women’s race, Healy was out on her own from the start, winning comfortably  in 4:08.74. It was her first national indoors title over the 1500m distance. 

Doyle, the defending champion, got himself out of trouble about mid-way through the men’s race before storming home on the final lap to finish in 3:58.10.  ‘I think I’m getting the hang of indoor racing,’ he said afterwards. Finishing second  was Lughaidh Mallon (UCD AC) in 4:00.61.

A keenly awaited race was the men’s 60m final  which would feature a show-down between UCD’s Bori Akinola and Irish record holder  and three times champion Israel Olatunde  of Tallaght AC. Akinola has been the form man indoors this winter and he duly won the race and his first national title in 6.61 secs — a season’s best.  Olatunde finished third in 6.72. Almost sixty athletes had entered the men’s 60m. A day earlier, Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers AC)  was a clear winner of the men’s 200m  in 20.74, while in the women’s 200m,  Kate O’Connell (Lucan Harriers) finished second, with Molly Hourihan (UCD AC) third. 

Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock) proved the class of the field in the men’s shot, winning his third indoor title with  his opening heave of 19.450m.  Favors’ Raheny clubmate  Colm Bourke won the long jump with a 7.15 leap and was also second in the triple jump. On a good day in the field for Raheny, Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen finished second inn the women’s triple jump. Other Dublin club athletes to win medals over the weekend included Amy O’Donoghue (Dundrum South Dublin AC) third in the women’s 1500m, Finn Woodger (Metro St Brigid’s ) second in the men’s 800m, Niamh Kearney (Raheny Shamrock AC) third women’s 3000m, David Bosch (UCD AC) second behind the phenomenal Conor Kelly in the men’s 400m,  Ciara Wilson Bowen (DSD AC) third in the women’s 3000m walk and Lorcan Murphy (DSD AC) second in the men’s high jump. In a thrilling women’s 4 x 200m relay on Saturday, Dundrum South Dublin held off Leevale AC to win in 1:40.96, with Metro St Brigid’s third in 1:42.25. The DSD quartet finished third in the men’s 4 x200m. A day later, UCD won the women’s 4 x 400m, with DSD third.  In the men’s 4 x 400m, which concluded a memorable championships, DSD finished second behind Ratoath AC.

ROADS

At the Seville Marathon  on Sunday (February 23), ultra specialist Sorcha Loughnane (Donore Harriers) finished 27th woman in 2:44.36. Also on Sunday, Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) made it two wins in two days when winning the Duleek 5km in Co Meath in 15 mins 35 secs. Eric Keogh (Donore Harriers) was second  in 15:44.  In a Dublin double, Orla Walsh (Crusaders AC) was first woman in 18:23.

 At the Wicklow Hospice Half Marathon over a tough off-road course in Avondale Forest Park, Rathdrum on Saturday,  Jason Reilly (Civil Service Harriers, M40) was the winner in 77 mins 8 secs with Julie McGrath (Crusaders AC) first woman in 86:50.

BHHA CROSS COUNTRY 

As they had done at the Teachers Cross-Country  the previous weekend, Sean Doran and Clare Sullivan were the winners at the Central Bank BHAA 6km Cross-Country held at Jobstown Park, Tallaght on Saturday (February 22). Doran had a comfortable overall win in 21 mins 29 secs, with Edward O’Connor second in 21:50 and Paul Fleming third in 22.36. Sullivan finished in 25:41, with Clodagh Dunphy second in  27:02 and Malika Hammani  third in 27:31. ESB were first of the grade 1 teams ahead of Accountants and Gardai, with Teachers winning Grade 2. Stronger with Esther proved best of the women’s teams. 

* The National Cross-Country course at Abbotstown gets a rare outing next Sunday (11am) when the BHAA and Women’s Meet and Train combine to put on a women’s 2-mile as well as  a men’s 4-mile race. Register at www.bhaa.ie