INDOORS
Sarah Healy of Blackrock AC took her second Irish indoor record in the space of a week when finishing fifth in the 15000m in a time of 4:03.83 at the World Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France on Saturday (February 10). Last weekend, Healy, who turns 23 next week, set an Irish indoors record of 8:36.06 for 3000m. Her immediate target is next month’s World Indoors in Glasgow, where she hopes to make the 1500m final. Healy is currently based in Wigan, training with Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows, since May 2023.whrre she has been
In New York, at the Armory where the Millrose Games took place on Sunday (February 11), Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) finished second in the 300m with a time of 36.42 secs.
A number of Irish athletes were running in US indoor meets also on Friday (February 9). In Chicago, Sean Donoghue (Celtic DCH AC) ran a personal best 3:58.07 to finish third in the mile. At the Boston University David Hemery Invitational, also on Friday, Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) finished second in the 800m in 1:46.43, just shy of his indoor best of 1:46.13. Over 3000m, Abdel Laadjel (Donore Harriers) finished 13th in 7:52.52, while in the 5000m, Paul O’Donnell (DSD AC) clocked a time of 13:43.09,
Earlier in the week, Raheny’s Niamh Kearney won the women’s A 3000m with a time of 9:25.27 at the BMC Indoor Meet in Lee Valley on Wednesday (February 7). Georgie Hartigan (DSD AC) ran a time of 2:04.56 to finish second in the women’s A 800m. At Track and Field Live in Abbotstown on Wednesday (February 7), Bori Akinola (UCD AC) proved fastest with a time of 6.83. Sean Aigboboh of Tallaght AC was second with 6.85 and Joseph Ojewumi, also Tallaght, third fastest overall in 6.92. Over 800m, Philip Marron (Dublin City Harriers) ran 1:52.30.
In Abbotstown, at the Irish Universities Indoor Championships, on Saturday (February 10), DCU retained the women’s title for a 17th time and an eighteenth time since overall since 2005. In the men’s competition, DCU was taking a seventeenth title. Winners for the DCU women included Ciara Wilson Bowen walk, Aoife O Cuill 3000m, Lauren Callaghan long jump, Daphni Doulaptsi-Teeuwen triple jump, Daena Kealy high jump, Ciara Sheehy shot put, and the 4 x 200m relay team. Winners for UL women were Ciara Neville 60m, Alana Ryan 200m, Laura Frawley combined events and Kotryna Pacerinskaite weight for distance. For the DCU men, winners were Mark Smyth 200m, Oisin Kelly 800m, Matthew Glennon walk, Emanuel Osas high jump, Conor Callinan pole vault, and Jack Forde combined events. UCD’s Bori Akinola won the 60m in 6.72 secs and Jonas Stafford, also UCD, the 3000m in 8:15.91.
CROSS-COUNTRY
Dublin won all six county titles on offer at the All Ireland Masters and Intermeodate Cross-Country Championships held in Dundalk on Sunday (February 11). In the men’s masters 7km, Clonliffe’s Colm Rooney finished second overall and first M40. Fourth and second M40 was Eoin Flynn of Rathfarnham WSAF AC. John Dunne of Raheny Shamrock finished second M45, and David Irwin, also Raheny, third M45. In the M35 team category, Clonliffe lost out by a single point to North Belfast Harriers.Rathfarnham WSAF was fourth team and Raheny Shamrock fifth; Sportsworld was ninth and the Raheny B team tenth of the nineteen teams entered. In the M60 team competition, Raheny Shamrock finished fifth, with Sportsworld sixth and Liffey Valley eighth. Kate Purcell of Raheny Shamrock AC, runner-up in the Dublin Championships, won the women’s 4km race with her clubmate Fiona Roche of Raheny Shamrock third. Caoimhe Kilroy of Metro St Brigid’s finished seventh and third W45. Annette Kealy of Raheny Shamrock successfully defended her W55 title. Raheny Shamrock was first of the W35 teams, with defending champions Sportsworld seventh of the ten teams. Rahney also finished second of the W50 teams with Sportsworl, led by Lucy Darcy, third. Rathfarnham WSAF finished fourth team in the M65 age group, with Raheny fifth and Clonliffe sixth.
In the intermediate races, Dublin City Harriers were clear winners pof the team title with Orla Duffy second , Susan McManus third Aoife Carr fourth, backed up by Clare O’Connor 22nd. Clonliffe Harriers, with four in the top twelve led by Sarah Bateson in eighth place, finished second. With only Dublin clubs competing, Raheny Shamrock was third, Sportsworld fourth, Liffey Valley fifth and a second DCH team sixth of the six teams entered. No prizes for guessing who took the county team title. In the men’s race, Mihail Sprincean in second place was leading Clonliffe Harriers to team victory. East Cork was second and Dublin City Harriers third. Just 33 men and 39 men entered these races. Dublin was first county team ahead of Offaly and Galway. .
ROADS
Hiko Tonosa of Dundrum South Dublin AC finished 15th at the Barcelona Half Marathon on Sunday (February 11) in a time of 63 mins 11 secs. Also running were Daniel Stone (Raheny Shamrock) who finished in 66:26, and David Scanlon (Rathfarnham WSAF AC) home in 67:15.
Local race of the past week was the Armagh International 5km on Thursday evening (February 8), where Topi Raitanen from Finland won the charge for the line. Finishing 32nd and first of the home grown-talent was Mitchell Byrne of Rathfarnham WSAF in 14 mins 10 secs. Next home of the Irish was Kieran Kelly of Raheny Shamrock 50th in 14:25.
ULTRA
At the National 50km Championships in Donadea, Co Kildare, Sorcha Loughnane (Donore Harriers) set a new national record of 3:18:04 when finishing first woman and first W45. In a Donore double, Ian Fitzpatrick was first of the men and overall winner, finishing in 3:04.44. Grainne Grennan of Blackrock AC was first W60 in 4:33.30.
