ROADS
Dublin-based Íde Nic Domhnaill (West Limerick AC) made it look easy when winning the 42nd VHI Women’s Mini Marathon with a time of 33 mins 22 secs in Dublin on a sunny day in Dublin (June 3) . Finishing a second was Meghan Ryan of organising club Dundrum South Dublin in 34:53. It was a best ever finish for Ryan who, as a member of the race’s organising club, has run the mini marathon every year since she turned sixteen - and that’s sixteen times! Other notable performances came from the 2008 women’s mini marathon winner Annette Kealy (Raheny Shamrock), who finished 17th overall and first W55 in 38 mins 46 secs. On a good day for Raheny Shamrock, Zoë Quinn finished second W45 in 38:27, Maria Dolan second W55 in 42:40 and June Comiskey first W75 in 64:39. Pauline Robertson (Brothers Pearse) third W55 in 42:60 and Grainne Grennan (Blackrock AC) third W65 in 47:03. Large numbers from other Dublin Clubs also lined out - among them Clonliffe Harriers, Crusaders AC, Sportsworld, Brothers Pearse, Blackrock, Rathfarnham WSAF, and new clubs Coolock RC and Ballymun AC, with Ballymun led home by Ashley Carroll in 46:10. Please look at https://www.flickr.com/
In Munster, Tudor Mircea Moldovan (Clonliffe Harriers, M35) finished third in the Cork City Marathon with a time of 2:25.21 with Yuliya Tarasova (also Clonliffe Harriers, W35) second woman in 3:00:57
TRACK AND FIELD
Sarah Healy (UCD AC) finished second behind Ciara Mageean in the women’s 1500m at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava on Tuesday (May 28). Healy was leading with 150m to go, but was caught by Mageean in the finishing straight. The pair were given times of 4:01.98 and 4:02.12,. In the men’s 1500m, Luke McCann (DCH) finished third in a personal best time of 3:34.32, while in the 400m Sophie Becker (Raheny Shamrock) clocked 51.82. McCann later bettered that time when finished second in the 1500m at the Diamond League Stockholm on Sunday (June 2) with a time of 3:33.66.
At the Diamond League, Bislett Games, Oslo in Norway, on Thursday evening (May 30), Brian Fay (Raheny Shamrock AC) finished 18th in the men’s 5000m in a time of 13:30.45 in a race where five men broke 12 mins 50 secs and six national records were set.
Mageean, Healy, Becker, and Fay will all compete at the European Track and Field Championships starting on Friday June 7; McCann has opted out. Also competing are Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght AC) 400m and relays, Israel Olatunde (Tallaght AC) 100m, Efrem Gidey (Clonliffe Harriers) 10,000m, Jodie McCann (DCH) 5000m, Eric Favors (Raheny Shamrock) shot, Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) hammer, and Hiko Tonosa (DSD) half marathon. Selected for the 4x100m relay squad are Bori Akinola (UCD AC), Mark Smyth (Raheny Shamrock) and Joseph Ojewumi (Tallaght AC) with Chris Sibanda (Clonliffe Harriers) named as reserve. Joe Doody (Cabinteely AC) is selected for the men’s 4x400m squad. Good luck to them all! Timetables and further information at https://www.european-
Anna Gavigan (LSA AC) won the women’s discus at the Pickering Memorial Throws International, Loughborough, on Monday (May 27) with a personal best throw of 49.10m, which puts her second in the current Irish rankings behind Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC).
SCHOOLS
At the 106th All Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday (June 1), Irish schools cross-country champion Cormac Dixon (HCFS Rathcoole/Tallaght AC) was an impressive winner of the senior boy’s 1500m in 4 mins 02.43 secs. Sean Cronin (Col Ghlor an Mara, Balbriggan/Clonliffe Harriers) was second in 4:03.47 and Jamie Byrne (Wesley College/DSD AC) third in 4:04.68. In the senior girls’ 1500m title in 4:27.88, Lorraine O’Connor (Mount Sackville/Donore Harriers) third in 4:32.81. Winning the senior boys’ 100m for a second year in 10.90 secs (-2 headwind) was Sean Aigboboh (High School Dublin/Tallaght AC). Winning the junior boys’ 800m in 2:00.68 was Charlie O’Neill (Belvedere College), while taking the the senior girls 800m title in 2:10.10 was Saoirse Fitzgerald (Lucan CC/Lucan AC). Emily Bolton (Mount Sackville/Donore Harriers) won the inter girls 300m in 40:17.
RACING BRIEFS!
Ronan Dunphy (Skerries AC) was the winner at the Balbriggan Summerfest 5km in 16:43 with Shiela Burke (Lusk AC) first woman in 19:50 on Thursday (May 30),.
Ieuan Hopkins (Brothers Pearse AC) returned to winning way at the Government Services BHAA 5-Mile in Dunboyne, Co Meath on Tuesday (May 28), winning the race in 25 mins 20 secs. Sean Doran (Clonliffe Harriers) was second in 25:45.
