Week ending Saturday 8th June
Medals galore for Mullingar at All-Ireland Schools Finals
Twelve Mullingar athletes had qualified for the All-Ireland Schools T&F Finals in Tullamore last Saturday, and on the day eleven competed with great determination in what is rightly regarded as the toughest underage athletics fixture in Ireland. Conditions were overcast and cool early in the morning, which clearly suited the Mullingar race walkers, judging by their brilliant performances. In only her second competitive race walk, Aisling Lane (Mercy Ballymahon) showed maturity beyond her years in the junior girls 1,200m walk by following her pre-race plan to the letter and with a fast opening lap opened a gap on the rest of the field that was too big to close and she came home to win her first All-Ireland medal. Andrew Glennon (St. Finian’s) was rewarded for his fine effort with a bronze in the junior boys 1,200m walk. Jennifer Fidgeon (Loreto) and Jayne Walsh-Smith (Mercy Ballymahon) contested the intermediate girls 2,000m walk, where Jennifer finished just out of the medals in fourth place and Jayne a few places behind her. Matthew Glennon (St. Finian’s) was just too good in the intermediate boys 2,000m walk and quickly opened a sizeable lead and won by a good margin. We finished the race walks with what was really an exhibition by Oisin Lane (Mercy Ballymahon) in the senior boys 3,000m walk as he absolutely dominated the field to win by a very large margin. Our underage race walkers continue to be the standard bearers for Mullingar thanks to the terrific work put in with them by coach Michael Lane.
Shannon Liston (Loreto) competed in the junior girls shot in her first All-Ireland schools final and though she finished out of the medals, will have gained huge experience. Conditions began to warm by the middle of the day, ideal for the sprinters. Charles Okafor (St. Finian’s) blasted from the blocks to take bronze in the intermediate boys 100m in a new personal best time of 11.00 seconds and followed up later in the afternoon with a silver in the closest of finishes in the intermediate boys 200m, crossing the line in a new personal best of 22.09 seconds, just one hundredth of a second behind the winner.
Ross Killalea (Colaiste Mhuire) was slightly impeded and at a disadvantage from the start of the minor boys 800m but still put in a great effort and finished a very creditable seventh place. The junior girls 800m was a cagey tactical affair but Aimee Wallace (St. Finian’s) ran a very clever race and keeping her powder dry until needed, she timed her move to perfection and with a phenomenal turn of pace with 200m to go, swept into the lead and was just too fast to catch and took the gold medal and schools title. The final event of the day with a Mullingar interest was the girls u/16 mile where Phoebe Bate (Loreto) kept right in contention in the opening laps but just when it looked like she might be run out of a medal, she unleashed a terrific sprint on the final bend to pull clear into third place but wasn’t going to give up the silver medal without a fight and she closed right down on the girl in second place but the finish line came just a few metres too soon, but Phoebe was still delighted to win the bronze medal.
Medal feast at Leinster Senior & Masters
Not many Clubs can say it, but all nine Mullingar athletes that competed in Tullamore last Sunday at the Leinster Senior and Masters T&F won a medal, some more than one, so it was quite a medal feast for Mullingar.
It was an early start for Andrew Nevin in the senior men 3,000m steeplechase and he was very satisfied to finish third and win the bronze medal. He followed this up later in the day with another bronze in the senior men 5,000m run. Eddie Newman was another athlete in fine form when he won his category of the master men 1,500m and followed it up with another gold medal in the master men 5,000m later in the day. Given Mullingar’s reputation in race walking, it was fitting that Colm Walsh and Sean McMullin won their respective categories in the master men 3,000m race walk with great performances in this highly technical event.
Making her debut on the track, Michelle Kavanagh was somewhat apprehensive before the master women 800m but of course found that once the gun fired, it was race on and she was delighted to come home in third place in her category to win her first Leinster Championship medal, probably the first of many! Vicky Harris and Awa Fane lined up for the senior women 200m where Vicky stormed to victory with Awa in third, and later in the afternoon Vicky won the senior women 100m to Awa’s second place, so female sprinting in Mullingar remains very strong. Only for strong tail wind in the sprints above the legal limit, Vicky’s time in both races would be personal bests though she can still count them as the fastest she has ever run the distances!
We finished the day with the senior women 4x100m relay where Awa Fane, Vicky Harris, Eve Wallace and Maimouna Fane were simply in another class and with terrific sprinting and clean baton passes won at a canter, their third Leinster senior relay title in a row.
Tribal Games, Galway
Shane Fitzsimons recorded an excellent win in the Elite Mile Race at the Tribal Games in Co. Galway last Saturday, hosted by Castlegar Athletic Club. It was a high class field with athletes in the race who have competed for Ireland at senior International level and also three athletes currently on scholarship at American Universities.
In a tactical race, Shane waited patiently in the leading pack before producing an explosive turn of pace with 400m remaining to open up a wide margin between him and his rivals. This win comes a week after Shane ran 3 mins 44 seconds for 1,500m at the IFAM Meeting in Oordegem, Belgium and is further indication of the rapid progress he is making this season.
Vicky Harris selected to compete at the 2019 European Games
Last Tuesday the Olympic Federation of Ireland named a squad of 65 athletes from nine sports to compete in the second edition of the European Games in Minsk, Belarus, which will run from June 21st to 30th and will feature 15 sports, eight of which are part of the Road to Tokyo 2020 qualification process. Team Ireland will field teams in Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Judo and Shooting.
Named on the Athletics team is Vicky Harris, who will compete in the Pursuit Race, which is a relay and Vicky will run the 200m leg. This is Vicky’s first International representation at Senior level and a testament to her continued hard work and dedication to athletics. Congratulations to Vicky from everyone at the Club.
Royal Canal Greenway 5k
The route for the Royal Canal Greenway 5k last Wednesday evening was along the beautiful Royal Canal Greenway in Co. Meath. It was an out and back course, traffic free, and went from Hill of Down Bridge to Blackshade Bridge and back. The only “hills” on the route were the small inclines at the bridges along the route. The flat even surface along the banks of the Canal gave everyone the opportunity to run a fast time while taking in the scenery on offer along this stretch of the Royal Canal.
Very pleased to lead the nearly 200 finishers home in first place was Evan McCormack in 17:03, followed by Ger Brady fifth (18:46), Enda Seery eighth (19:05) and Michelle Kavanagh (26:46) taking third prize in her master category.
Good luck to student members taking exams
We wish the very best of luck to all student members of the Club who are taking the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert exams over the next few weeks. Remember, it is very wise to take regular breaks from studying to keep fresh and alert, so don’t be afraid to pop on your running shoes and go for an easy run now and again; you’ll feel all the better for it after and come back to studying fresher and more alert.
Westmeath Community Games T&F Finals
The Westmeath Community Games T&F Finals will be held at the Club grounds this Sunday and we’re appealing to Club members and friends to assist, even if only for a few hours. We need as many stewards and officials as possible, especially early in the programme when we’ll be using three sprint tracks as usual. Juveniles who are too old for Community Games are particularly asked to help on the day.
Leinster T&F Championships
The Leinster T&F Championships continue this Saturday when the u/9, 10 and 11 Pairs and the u/12 and u/13 individual T&F Championships take place in Tullamore. Despite the huge number of youngsters training at the Club on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Mullingar will have just 2 teams in the Pairs competition and just 13 athletes competing in the u/12 and u/13 Championships, but we’ll still have plenty of action to follow on the day. The names of those entered are on the notice board in the Clubhouse. Please check the time of your event. You can wear flat running shoes but the maximum length of spike allowed is 5mm. This is a Championship, so you must wear your Club vest.
Finally, entries are now closed for the Leinster u/14 to u/19 T&F. If you missed the well publicized deadline this week and still wish to enter, please speak with Greg immediately about submitting a late entry, which will cost you double entry fee, €8 or €10 per event, depending on age group.
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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