Week ending Saturday 6th April
Excellent showing by Jamie Battle at World Cross Country
Congratulations to Jamie Battle on a strong run in his first World Cross Country Championships, finishing in 68th place in the junior men 8,000m race in Aarhus, Denmark last Saturday on a very tough hilly course that tested the best of them. The experience will really stand to him and he will take so much from competing at this level and use it to build towards future events. Over the past three years Jamie has competed in Celtic Internationals, represented Ireland in Schools International races before progressing onto European and World Cross Country Championships. He will now turn his attention to the European Junior T&F Championship this summer, as he has already secured the qualification standard for the 5,000m.
World Masters Medals for Eileen Kenny & Sean McMullin
Even though it’s obviously an Indoor Championships, the World Masters Indoors in Toruń (Poland) last week included some outdoor events such as 10k road race, 10k road walk and even cross country. Among the very large Irish team and flying the flag for Mullingar were Sean McMullin and Eileen Kenny.
Sean started his campaign last Monday with the 3,000m race walk where he finished just out of the medals in fourth place, only missing the bronze medal by a narrow margin. As a measure of the standard of competition that Sean was up against, the event was won in a new World record and it took a season’s best performance by the athlete in third to hold off Sean in the battle for the bronze medal. This was a great result against the very best master athletes in the World and while he obviously would have liked to win a medal, Sean has to be very satisfied with his performance. Sean had until last Friday lunchtime to recover for the 10k Road Walk and the longer distance clearly suited him better and he lived up to his pre-race billing as a realistic medal prospect by finishing second to win the silver medal, showing great determination and grit to pull clear and hold off a late challenge and earn his place on the medal podium.
The 8k Cross Country also last Monday afternoon took place over a very challenging course and despite a good effort to finish in 41:46, Eileen Kenny had to settle for a place out of the medals in seventh. She had much better fortune two days later in the 10k Road Race early on Wednesday morning, which was a combined men and women race with a huge entry of 340, where Eileen dug deep and with a strong run that produced a season’s best of 46:41, she was delighted to place third in her master category and win the bronze medal, within striking distance of the silver medal, to add another World masters medal to her growing collection.
A feast of All-Ireland Juvenile Indoor medals
Running quicker than the time that won him the Leinster bronze medal in February saw Brian Martin finish fourth in his heat of the u/19 boys 400m last Saturday morning at day one of the All-Ireland Juvenile Indoors in Athlone IT. His time was good enough to qualify as a fastest loser to the final where he put in an excellent display and competed strongly to finish a close fifth, only narrowly outside the bronze medal position, showing that he has plenty of pace and giving him a boost of confidence for the 800m the following day.
Moving to the middle-distance events, Phoebe Bate battled hard throughout the u/16 girls 1,500m and with a ferocious turn of pace on the final lap closed right down on the medal places but just missed bronze by less than one second to finish fourth but an excellent new personal best of 4:48.88 was great consolation. Colin Smith worked hard in the u/17 boys 1,500m and began to make up ground in the closing stages and finished very strongly in an excellent seventh place, which is a great result in an All-Ireland final and his time of 4:17.09 was a new personal best. Keeping with the leading group that slowly whittled down to just four for the final laps of the u/18 boys 1,500m it looked like Eoin Quinn would win a medal but despite using every ounce of effort over the last lap he had to settle for a place just out of the medal in fourth, but took great satisfaction from a new personal best of 4:08.21.
Mullingar Harriers is becoming synonymous with race walking excellence due to the great work put in by coach Michael Lane and all five our race walkers won medals. Andrew Glennon took silver in the u/15 boys 1,000m walk, Matthew Glennon was a clear winner by a distance of the u/17 boys 1,500m walk, Jayne Walsh Smith worked hard in the u/17 girls 1,500m walk and was delighted to win bronze, Jennifer Fidgeon took silver in the u/18 girls 1,500m walk and we left the best to last with Sarah Glennon who gave a polished performance in the u/19 girls 1,500m walk to win with ease and take the gold medal.
Recent illness robbed Criostoir Ormsby of his best in the u/13 boys long jump where his first round jump was his best and he placed just out of the medals in fourth place but he’s sure to make amends come the outdoor Championships. Jayne Charles contested the u/12 girls high jump but a contentious judge’s ruling saw her eliminated for a third foul on a technicality, which was very disappointing but she too will make amends in the outdoors.
Kyle Faherty, Kyle Birney, Charles Okafor and Eve Wallace all safely negotiated the competitive 60m heats, but unfortunately Eta Oviahon didn’t advance from his heat of the u/17 boys 60m despite a fine run. Kyle Faherty ran quicker in the final of the u/13 boys 60m but was edged into third place in a close finish but was still very happy with his All-Ireland bronze medal. Kyle Birney also ran marginally quicker in the final of the u/15 boys 60m and was delighted to finish second and win the silver medal, his first All-Ireland sprint medal. Charles Okafor blasted from the blocks in the final of the u/17 boys 60m but appeared to stumble slightly mid-race though he recovered very well and still managed to run a fantastic 7.03 seconds, which placed him a very close second to win his first All-Ireland sprint medal too. We finished with the final of the u/19 girls 60m where Eve Wallace lined up in her final juvenile indoor 60m race, as she will be junior next year, but finished out of the medal places.
The clocks changed overnight, but not the relentless hunt for medals by the Mullingar athletes and first into action on day two on Sunday morning were the 200m sprinters where Charles Okafor and Eta Oviahon contested the heats of the u/17 boys 200m. Unfortunately Eta didn’t advance to the final to join Charles who had won his heat comfortably to advance to the final where he blasted away to an early lead but was closed down at the top of the second bend and despite his best efforts on the home straight he couldn’t retake the lead and finished a close second to win his second All-Ireland silver medal of the week-end. Awa Fane was clearly under the weather in her heat of the u/19 girls 200m and though she still qualified as a fastest loser for the final she wisely decided not to run and risk making herself more ill.
Kyle Birney competed in the u/15 boys high jump but finished out of the medal places but enjoyed the experience. Criostoir Ormsby competed in the u/13 boys high jump and finished an excellent fifth place in a great competition.
Matthew Molloy surged to the front from the start of the u/12 boys 600m final and was never troubled and went on to win by a big margin. Conor Liston employed similar front-running tactics in the u/13 boys 600m final and was only troubled for a brief spell at 300m but quickly regained the lead and surged ahead at the bell to win well, even having time to raise a celebratory arm as he crossed the line. Making short work of her heat of the u/14 girls 800m, Aimee Wallace bided her time in the final and ran with the leading group for three of the four laps, only taking the lead and striking for home at the bell to open a small lead, which she managed to keep until she was caught and passed with less than ten metres to go and crossed the line in second place to win the silver medal. Another casualty to illness was Callum Costello and he just never got going in his heat of the u/14 boys 800m and didn’t advance to the final. Diarmuid Fagan safely negotiated the heats of the u/15 boys 800m but by the third lap of the final he began to slowly drop off the pace, perhaps a sign of some residual tiredness from his recent efforts over schools cross country and though he worked very hard was unable to get back on terms and despite a good finish he placed sixth, out of the medal places. A temporary set-back for sure and we’re sure to see Diarmuid successfully compete for All-Ireland honours in the outdoors this summer. Unfortunately Colin McGee finished out of the qualification places in his heat of the u/17 boys 800m and didn’t advance to the final to join Colin Smith who qualified for from his heat. In the final, Colin Smith worked himself nicely into the leading group and lay third at the bell but was slowly pulled back and pushed into fifth by the finish but took satisfaction from a new personal best of 2:01.24 and edges ever closer to breaking the two minute barrier. We got back in the medals thanks to Eoin Quinn who timed his move perfectly on the final lap of the u/18 boys 800m final when he moved into third place and accelerated smoothly and go clear of the pack to finish third and win the bronze medal. Brian Martin was very unlucky in the u/19 boys 800m to miss qualifying for the final by just one place, only about a half second away.
That concluded day two and over the two days, Mullingar athletes had won thirteen medals and three finished in fourth place to put this among the best All-Ireland juvenile indoor finals for the Club for many years, which is a great testament to the hard work everyone put in at training.
Team prize for Mullingar women at Dunboyne 10k
Previously the Dunboyne 4 Mile, the new Dunboyne 10k last Sunday afternoon proved a huge success for Dunboyne AC and great organisation by the host Club attracted entrants from Counties near and far and had 850 finishers. The flat fast course was very well received by everyone, many recording personal bests for the distance. Padraig Moran finished well up in eighth place in 31:29 to continue his current streak of good form and Enda Seery was satisfied with his finish in 39:55. Aine O’Reilly finished in 37:53, fifth woman and second in her master category, and with support from Elizabeth Carr (38:09), Michelle Bohan (40:58), Michelle O’Halloran (45:17) third in her master category and Emer Foley (46:21) fourth in her master category, led the Mullingar women team to first Club to transfer cross country team success to the road. The women collected a nice cash prize for their efforts and a cup to show off at the Club! Well done to all the Mullingar athletes, particularly our victorious women team.
Finally, the Executive and members of the Club extend sincere sympathy to David Hynes and the entire Hynes family on the recent death of his father, Martin. RIP. David was a prominent juvenile member of the Club from the late nineties to the early noughties, winning many regional and national medals and representing Ireland in International competition. David’s name is on the Club’s International Roll of Honour for 2004.
For the latest results, news and details of all upcoming fixtures check the Club’s website at www.mullingarharriers.com. You can also follow what is happening at the Club on our Facebook page.
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