Leinster Combined Events 2018 (19th May)

Leinster Pentathlon Title for Shane Ormsby

Despite suffering from a heavy head cold, Shane Ormsby competed in the Leinster u/14 Combined Events in Kilkenny on Saturday 19th May. The competition was a pentathlon, where the faster you run, the longer you jump or throw, and the higher you jump, the more points you get. Shane started his campaign in the 75m hurdles where he finished third in a very close race. A fourth place in the long jump into a very strong wind kept him just off the medal places but a massive 10.40m effort to win the shot by over 3m to spare on the competition put him firmly in the driving seat. The strong wind played havoc with the high jump bar, which had to be changed to a heavier one and the officials even had to keep a finger on each side to keep it from blowing off between jumps, but a good performance in a new event for him kept him in contention. He finished with the 800m, never a favourite for multi-event athletes, and though he finished fourth in the race and thought he was out of the reckoning, when the points were totaled across the five events, Shane emerged as the winner to claim the Leinster title, much to his delight. This was a great start for Shane in a new event and he is sure to build on this success.