All-Ireland Juvenile T&F 2021 – Day 3 (14th Aug)
The final day of the All-Ireland Juvenile T&F finals took place in Tullamore on Saturday 14th August, where the focus for Mullingar was on the 1,500m events.
Jamie Wallace made his intentions clear from the start of the u/15 boys 1,500m where he took the early lead and never letting up the pressure, stayed in front as the leading group slowly reduced to just three at the bell. He came under pressure with 200m to go and was passed around the final bend to put him in second place. He never gave up chasing though and kept digging deep to hang on to second place as best as he could but coming into the home straight he was relegated to third place, crossing the finish line to take a well-earned All-Ireland bronze medal.
The very fast early pace of the u/16 girls 1,500m did not suit Adele Geoghegan, but she kept in touch with the chasing group and settled into her rhythm. Unfortunately she fell off the back of the group at the mid-way point and was left in limbo running alone between the two main chasing groups, which is a very difficult place to be. Continuing to work as hard as she could in the closing stages though, she finished very strongly in a very creditable seventh place.
In contrast, the early pace of the u/16 boys 1,500m was shockingly pedestrian, setting the stage for a two lap burn-up in the finish, which suited the 800m specialists in the group but did not suit Conor Sherwin who is more an endurance athlete and better suited to a 1,500m raced at a more honest pace or the longer 3,000m distance. When the inevitable rapid acceleration came at the bell, he battled on bravely and never letting up he finished in an excellent sixth place and the experience will definitely stand to him.
The u/19 girls 1,500m was a cagey tactical race but Meabh Killalea kept well in contention in the opening laps. A surge in pace with two laps to go began to split the field and unfortunately Meabh found herself drifting slowly to the back of the chasing pack but she battled on to finish strongly in seventh place.
Lorcan Mullen contested the under 19 boys 1,500m race, which was run at a good pace from the start. Lorcan kept close to the action in the opening stages but when the final push for home came it split the field and despite a good effort Lorcan had to settle for a place out of the medals, but top marks for effort.
Five Mullingar athletes but only one medal to show was a clear indication of the quality of the competition in Tullamore but all the Mullingar athletes can hold their heads high and be satisfied with their performances against the very best of their peers.
