Updated 21 Feb - Jonathan Daly 3rd 1,500m u/19
At the Leinster Juvenile Indoor Championships in Nenagh on Sat/Sun 18th/19th February, Jack Reid bounced right back to his very best with an emphatic double victory in the 800m and 1,500m for under 17. Also at the same Championships, sprinter Victoria Harris raced to her first Championship double with superb victories in the 60m and 200m for u/17 to put down a clear marker for the season and year ahead.

Despite missing some athletes due to illness, injury and a variety of other reasons, we still had an impressive 44 boys and girls in action in 54 individual events, making sure Mullingar Harriers had a visible presence in competition throughout the two days.

Saturday

1,500m

Getting the first day off for Mullingar, Jack O’Leary was too good for the opposition in his heat of the 1,500m for boys u/16 where he cruised to a comfortable victory. Glen Gaffney looked smooth in his heat and was happy to finish third and qualify for the final. The final later in the day proved a memorable race as Jack and Glen took control from the gun and forged out the early pace, pulling further ahead with every lap. It quickly came down to a two man race with Glen proving the stronger on the day to take gold, but with Jack never letting up and finishing an excellent 2nd place to take the silver medal.

In the 1,500m for boys u/17, Jack Reid showed a magnificent return to top form with a stunning piece of front running that saw him take the gold in style, with Padraig Moran in 2nd and Jack Galvin unlucky to finish out of the medal places on this occasion. Lorraine Daly was clearly fired up by the success of her Club mates and ran to an excellent victory in the 1,500m for girls u/18, with Elizabeth Carr also getting on to the medal podium with a terrific 3rd place finish. Lorraine Claffey ran a spirited race but had to settle for a finish place out of the medals. The medals kept coming as Ryan Blundell fought hard on the finish straight to take 3rd in the 1,500m for boys u/18, with Patrick Fagan right on his heels in 4th place, the worst place to finish, just outside the medals. Stephen Nea rounded off the 1,500m with a well deserved victory in the 1,500m for boys u/19, but no joy for Jonathan Daly who ran well but finished out of the medal places, with Jonathan Daly finishing strongly to take 3rd.

200m/400m
Proceedings turned to the sprints then, where Lisa Cooke looked very smooth in her heat of the 200m for girls u/16, winning easily. Drawing the outside lane in the final, Lisa gave it all she had and was rewarded with a bronze medal to secure her place in the National Finals in March. Mervyn Harris turned in an excellent heat of the 200m for boys u/16 to qualify for the final with a new personal best time, but unfortunately Dean Murphy didn’t advance from his ferociously competitive heat. The final was run at a blistering pace with all three medals up for grabs in the finishing straight, but on this occasion Mervyn had to settle for bronze by a very narrow margin (just four hundredths outside his PB set in the heat), though was still very pleased to have won a Leinster sprint medal. It took Victoria Harris in the 200m for girls u/17 to secure the Club’s first sprint gold. Qualifying with ease with a clear win in her heat with a new personal best, she never put a foot wrong in the final and led from gun to tape to win her first Leinster sprint title, (lowering her PB set in the heat), holding off a late challenge with tremendous determination and power in the closing stages. Aine O’Reilly was clearly inspired by the medal haul in the sprints and in the 400m for girls u/19 negotiated the tight bends of the two lap race with ease to finish third and take the bronze medal as reward.

Long Jump
In the long jump, Dean Murphy jumped well in the boys u/16 but finished out of the medal places, while Wayne Murphy came close in the boys u/18 but finished 4th, just out of the medals.

600m
Mullingar has a well-justified reputation in middle-distance running and it was the turn of the younger generation to show their talents in the 600m. Elysia Greene qualified from the very competitive heats of the 600m for girls u/12, but unfortunately wasn’t joined by Susan Glennon despite a good run in her heat. This was Elysia’s first Leinster track final and while she finished out of the medals this time, it’s clear from her performance shows that it’s only a matter of time before she makes the medal podium. The heats of the 600m for boys u/12 were just as fiercely competitive and though they ran very well, Eoin Quinn and Enda Gaffney didn’t advance to the final. No problem for John Whitelaw qualifying from his heat and in the final ran a very clever race, staying right with the pace and ready to react when the final sprint came, and he was rewarded with a terrific bronze medal and a place in the National Finals in March.

Andrea Brady, Daria Fidgeon, Caoimhe Gaffney and Laura Shaw competed really well in their heats of the 600m for girls u/13, with particular mention for Laura who impressed in her first time running for the Club. Alisha Martin safely came through her heat and in a fast and furious final was very unlucky to finish just out of the medal places but top marks for effort all the way to the finish. Jack Moran was our sole representative in the 600m for boys u/13 and qualified comfortably from his heat but in the final there was a lot of very close running and bumping, which seemed to put him off his normal rhythm and though he raced on bravely had to settle for a finish place out of the medals.

Race Walk
We ended the long first day back in the medals courtesy of Rachel Glennon who took silver in the 1,000m race walk for girls u/15, and Edel Glennon who also took silver, in the 1,500m race walk for girls u/17, continuing Mullingar’s reputation in this very demanding and technical event.

Sunday

200m
Day two dawned cold and frosty but it wasn’t long before our Club athletes had us warming our hands clapping encouragement and excellent performances once again. Tommy Gallagher and Wayne Murphy lined up in their heats of the 200m for boys u/19 and u/18 respectively hoping to make the final but the pace of the heats was red hot and though they competed really well, neither advanced to the final. It was similar fate for Aine O’Reilly in the 200m for girls u/19, where she might have been feeling some effects of the 400m the previous day and despite a good effort didn’t advance from her very competitive heat.

Shot Putt
While he had no luck in the 200m, Wayne Murphy went straight from his heat to the shot putt for boys u/18 and was delighted to finish 3rd and win his first Leinster medal in his first individual competition in the Mullingar colours, much to the delight of the Mullingar contingent.

800m
The 800m heats proved fiercely competitive and no-one was assured an easy passage to the finals. Niamh Quinn just missed qualifying from her heat of the 800m for girls u/14, so Alanna Bate was the Club’s only representative in the final, having secured qualification from her heat with a very composed run. It took all her composure to keep in contact with the leaders in the final, which was run at a very fast pace from the off. Alanna ran well and despite a terrific last lap where she made up a lot of places, the finish line came too soon and she finished just of the medals. In the 800m for girls u/15, Claire Fagan made qualification from her heat look easy and ran an excellent race in the final where with a great sprint finish she looked a certain for a medal in the closing stages but was terribly unfortunate to finish 4th, just one place off the medals.

With four Mullingar boys in the 800m for boys u/15, it was always going to be difficult for all four to make it out of the heats, which proved the case for Declan Brady who was very unlucky not to advance to the final and join Michael Moran, Patrick Shaw and Shane Hughes, who had all negotiated the heats safely. Disaster struck for Patrick Shaw in the final where he took an early fall and despite getting quickly on his feet, had to work too hard to get back on terms which took its toll on his finishing pace. Shane Hughes and Michael Moran meanwhile raced on and were unlucky not to get among the medals in the finish. It took Jack Reid in the 800m for boys u/17 to raise our spirits again as he powered to victory in style to record an excellent indoor middle-distance double, with Liam O’Reilly terribly unlucky to be just edged into 4th place at the finish and denied a well deserved medal.

60m
Qualification from the 60m heats proved no easy task for the Mullingar sprinters and no-one could afford to take any chances with so many heats and so few places in the finals. Not advancing to their finals despite competing strongly was Adam Bate (u/12), Niall Brady (u/15), Neill Carthy (u/15), Dean Murphy (u/16), Tommy Gallagher (u/19) and Caitriona Kennedy (u/13) though she came really close with a particularly fine sprint.

Adeola Ojomo-Amaka powered to victory in her 60m u/14 heat and in the final ran a superb race but was terribly unlucky to be finish just out of the medals in a very close finish. Lisa Cooke also won her 60m u/16 heat but in the final a slight stumble coming out of the blocks certainly cost her a medal, as she fought furiously to recover and despite finishing strongly, finished in 4th place. Lisa can now concentrate on the 200m in the National Finals. Mervyn Harris made it look easy in his heat of the 60m u/16, winning with a new personal best time, though as he dipped at the line he had a slight stumble and twisted his ankle slightly that gave him cause for concern that he would not be fit to run in the final. However, some first aid and ice seemed to work and he took his place on the line as one of the favourites for gold. A blistering start saw him take the early lead and it was only in the last few metres that he had to surrender gold but was still very pleased to finish a very close 2nd, lowering his PB set in the heat, and take a silver medal. The final sprint with a Mullingar interest had Victoria Harris line up in the 60m u/17 final as clear favourite, courtesy of an emphatic victory in her heat in a new personal best time. Echoing her performance in the 200m the previous day, she absolutely blasted clear from the starting blocks and not putting a foot wrong she was never headed and crossed to win (lowering her PB set in the heat) and record a magnificent sprint-double to round off a memorable day.

A total of 44 of the Club’s best juvenile athletes competed in 54 events and scooped 7 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medals with many more making finals, but even those not winning medals or making finals can be proud of their performances as each and every one of them gave one hundred percent effort.

Club athletes will be very busy over the coming weeks, competing at the Schools cross country finals and the National indoor finals, so it is important for everyone to keep up the pressure in training, at the Club on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and of course the Sunday morning sessions in Belvedere. There will be other sessions too for qualifiers for the indoors in particular and Club coaches will advise individual athletes of arrangements.