TRACK AND FIELD
While the Olympics are the focus of our attention at the moment, it was a busy weekend locally for track and field athletics, with the All-Ireland Under 20 and U23 Championships on Saturday and the All Ireland Masters on Sunday both of them in Tullamore, where officials were stretched to their limits. In middle distances at the U23 championships Sadhbh Mohan (Metro St Brigid’s) won the women’s 1500m in 4:41.20 and Emma McEvoy (Dundrum South Dublin)) the 5000m in 17:04.44. At Under 20 level, Sean Quinn (Dundrum South Dublin) double winner. Quinn won the 3000m steeplechase in 9:08.07 where Jonas Stafford (UCD) was a close second in 9:10.27 and also the 5000m in 15:36.58.
A day later, at the masters championships, Eoin Flynn (Rathfarnham WSAF, M40) finished second in the 5000m with a time of 15:28.84. In the M50 plus race, Lea Fulcher (Plant Based AC) was the overall winner by some way in 16:49.91. Fulcher also won the M50 800m in 2:11.00 In the women’s 3000m Maria McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin) finished second overall and first W45 second in 10:13.66.
At the first ever women’s world decathlon championship, in Geneva, Ohio, USA, Lara O’Byrne (Donore Harriers) amassed a total of 6570 points over the ten events to finish sixth. Winner was Allison Halverson (Armenia) with 72386 points. Lara, aged just 23, picked up her best points in the 100m hurdles, 100m, 400m, and high jump and also recorded a personal best in the shot. She rounded off two exhausting days by clocking 5:26.54 for eighth place in the1500m.
Pictures from the Masters races are in Lindie's album at https://www.flickr.com/
EIGHTH AND FINAL DUBLIN GRADED MEET
Shona O’Brien (Cork TC) proved the class of the field in the women’s 1500m at the eighth and final Dublin Graded Track and Field meet of the season held at Santry on Wednesday (July 31). O’Brien won the combined A/B race in 4:39.85. Second and first in grade B was Rachel Murphy (Plant-Based AC) in 4:52.71 while third in 5:02.07 was Sharon Cantwell (Moyne). Race of the night was the men’s grade A 1500m, with David Scanlon (Rathfarnham WSAF) and Fintan Kerins (Clonliffe Harriers) battling it out to the line with Scanlon winning in 2:59.27 and Kerins seconds in 3:59.43. Third in 4:02.38 was Aaron Donnelly (DSD), while fourth was master athlete John Craig (Annadale Striders) in 4:02.64. Fastest over 100m of the men was Paul Costello (Dooneen) who race 10.77 in the first round of races and 10.79 in the final. Shane Howard (Bandon) was second with 10.84 and 10:98 and Runo Ayavoro (Newbridge) third with 10.85 and 10.90. Simon Essuman (Tallaght AC) was fourth in both races with times of 11.05 and 11.08. In the women’s 100m, Mollie O’Reilly (DSD) won her opening round race in 11.93 followed by Sarah Murray (Fingallians) in 12.17 and Orla Comerford (Raheny Shamrock) in 12.21. In the final, those same three ran times of 11.95, 12.13 and 12.18. Winning the 110m hurdles was Sean Carmody (Leevale) in 14:38 from Sean Owens (Crusaders) in 14:69 and Rueben McCarthy (StLOT) in 15:11.
In the field, Anna Gavigan (LSA) won the discus with a throw of 46.66, with comeback kid Anne-Marie Torsney (Fingallians) second with 33.25. Daphni Doulaptsi Teeuwen (Raheny Shamrock) jumped 5.41 to win the long jump from Rhianna McCarthy (UCD) who had a 5.15m best. Padraig Hore (DMP) proved best in the men’s discus with a 44.94 effort in the fifth round. Jonathan Bell (Crusaders) was second with 33.57m and Harry Moylan, also Crusaders, third with 32.05. Matthew Flood (Fingallians) threw 42.01 to win the hammer, while Colm Bourke (Raheny Shamrock) jumped 6.95m in the long jump.
As a prelude to the meet, a women’s masters 4 x 800m relay saw world records set in the W35, W45 and W70 age group, with master women travelling from all over the country to join in the fun. Some pictures are at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lindie/albums/72177720319256681/with/53895229635 .
Grand Prix results (provisional!).
Women - Grade A: 1 Maisy O’Sullivan (St Abban’s) 298; 2 Maria McCambridge (DSD() 200; 3 Alana Ryan (Slí Cualann) 200. B: Aisling O’Connor ( Rathfarnham WSAF) 492; 2 Uche Disu (Tallaght) 300; 3 Michelle Cox (Newbridge) 294. C: Sue McDonald (Newbridge) 681; 2 Robyn Carey (Lusk) 294; 3 Aisling Cunningham (DSD) 196. D: Orla Gordon (Liffey Valley) 683; 2 Michelle Brannigan (LSA) 487; 3 Siobhan Nugent (Liffey Valley) 398.
Men - Grade A: 1 Runo Ayavaro (Newbridge) 391; 2 John Cleary (Donore Harriers) 286; 3 Dean Power (Tullamore Harriers) 283. B: Gavin Callerly (DSD) 376; 2 Paul Fleming (Rathfarnham WSAF) 233; 3 George McGilton (DSD) 291. C: Conor Galvin (Liffey Valley) 479; 2 Morgan McDonagh (Dunboyne) 469; 3 Ciaran Connolly (DSD) 370. D: 1 Paul Curtayne (Raheny Shamrock) 543; 2 Paul Kelly (Crusaders) 475; 3 Peter Bissitt (Clonliffe Harriers) 382.
ROADS
Kieran Kelly (Raheny Shamrock AC) was the winner of the Michael Fearon and Kevin Marron 5km, in Carlingford, Co Louth on Friday evening (August 2). His time was 14 mins 49 secs. Second in 14:55 was Cameron Stewart (Annadale Striders) while third was James Hyland (Raheny Faye Dervan (Dublin City Harriers) was second woman in 16:54.
At the Streets of Athboy 5km, in Co Meath, also on Friday, Barbara Cleary (Donore Harriers, W50) was second woman in 17:07.
Roisin McMahon (Sportsworld) was first home at the Clare Women’s 10km Mini Marathon, held at Sixmilebridge, Co Clare on Sunday in a time of 39 mins 40 secs.
