Kilkenny stars claim All-Ireland titles

All-Ireland titles for Walsh, Lynch and Daly

The National Juvenile Indoors were held last weekend in Athlone, where Amy Walsh (St Josephs), Chloe Lynch (Gowran) and Molly Daly (Kilkenny City Harriers) claimed national titles. In total thirteen medals were won across four clubs in the county.

As the juveniles basked in the relative comfort of the indoor arena, the university student athletes competed at Mary Peter’s (Belfast) while storm Kathleen ranged around them. Cathal O’Reilly (DCU) took the 10,000m title while Sophie Jackman (Trinity) finished 3rd in the 1500m.

Padraig Maher, also representing Trinity, took silver in the weight for distance. Katie Bergin took gold in the 200m in the UCC colours.

IUAA Track and Field Championships

Storm Kathleen howled relentlessly at the Mary Peter’s track in Belfast last weekend as the college going athletes took part in the IUAA track and field. Known for its fast times, there was little in the way of super speed at the renowned Belfast facility as the athletes struggled to stay on two feet.

Facing into the wind was energy sapping. For the middle-distance races, it was survival with a quick wind up to the finish.

While Friday’s events did experience windy conditions, one look at the times for Saturdays finals is enough evidence to suggest
something caused the poorer than average performances. Cathal O’Reilly representing DCU lined out for the 10,000m just as he did in 2023.

O’Reilly has had a string of successes over a wide range of distances from 1500m right up to 10,000m. An initial breakaway group of O’Reilly, Shane Spring (TCD), Luke Johnson (UG), Aaron Brennan (UG), Jamie Kelly (TUS) and Caol Curran (UL) drew clear of the main field after just a few laps.

A relatively stable pace per lap kept this group intact for most of the race. Around 7,000m the group started to disintegrate, with Shane Spring and Cathal O’Reilly racing for gold over the final 3000m.

With 700m to go O’Reilly made a move, with Spring in pursuit, not willing to let the Castlecomer native have the gold.

However, a 58 second final lap by O’Reilly proved to be an impossible pace for Spring to maintain.

Molly Daly, winner of the u-17 200m

Cathal O’Reilly in the blue and yellow stripe of DCU took gold in a time of 31.25, four seconds ahead of Shane Spring. In the windy conditions his time was just twenty seconds slower than the personal best he set in 2023 of 31.05.

Katie Bergin (UCC) was a convincing winner of her 200m heat. She proceeded to the final as one of the favourites to take the title.

Known for her explosive starts, Bergin had by the 40m mark started to take a commanding lead. She pushed hard all the way to the finish, increasing that lead.

She won the 200m in a time of 24.85 three tenths of a second ahead of Lauren McCourt who was also representing UCC. On Saturday Bergin formed part of the UCC 4x100m relay quartet that won silver.

Padraig Maher (Trinity College) competed in the weight for distance and earned yet another IUAA medal. Maher took silver in the indoors and repeated his performance with another silver at track and field last weekend.

Maher had a best throw of 8.64m within reach of the gold until Robert Higgins (Maynooth University) threw a final round of 9.12, diminishing any athletes prospects of gold. Sophie Jackman, also representing Trinity College, earned two bronze medals.

Sophie added a bronze in the 1500m to her indoor bronze that she won in February. The race started at a relatively pedestrian pace with a rapid wind up.

Lucy Holmes (MTU) annihilated the field with her final 600m. She won by over four seconds from Eimear Maher (UCC).

Jackman was closing fast on Maher over the final 100m reducing the deficit to less than one second. Jackman was also part of the Trinity College 4x400m relay team that won bronze.

David Williams (UCD) and Gearoid Long (UCC) also competed with both qualifying for the final of the 1500m.

NATIONAL JUVENILE INDOORS

Thirteen medals with three of them gold were the cumulation of the weekends competitive action at the National Juvenile Indoor Championships last weekend in Athlone. Amy Walsh (St Josephs AC) , Molly Daly (KCH) and Chloe Lynch (Gowran) won gold with Lynch and Daly retaining the national titles they had won in 2023.

Daly’s success for the last two years has been well documented. A string of national medals, international success and more recently a qualifying standard for the European u18 200m.

Aisling Phelan (#263) dips for silver in the u-15 60m

Since her explosive performance at the National Junior Indoors in January where she first achieved the 200m qualifying standard, Daly has surpassed that standard in just about every 200m race she has participated in. Last weekend she won the u17 200m in a time of 24.55 once again attaining the qualifying standard.

Daly easily won her heat clocking 24.92, the only athlete to dip under the 25 second mark. Running from lane 6, in the final, and careful to stay in her lane, Daly ran as hard as she could from the gun.

It is not until the athletes com off the stagger with 60m to go that they know their true positions. However, it was obvious that Daly had the lead as she surged further and further ahead on the back straight moving away from Eimear McGrath (Celbridge) in lane 5.

For the final 60m, she kept her focus on the finishing line and recorded a time 24.55, five seconds inside the European standard. Eimear McGrath finished one second behind her.

Amy Walsh (St Josephs AC) has a string of unbeaten successes over her signature event, race-walking. The 2023 outdoor national champion looked comfortable throughout the 1000m race walking competition.

Leading from the gun, Walsh was pursued by Cliodhna Ni Chonaill (Castlegar). Accustomed to creating a substantial distance between herself and her opponents, this was new territory for Walsh.

At Guadix (Spain) in February, in an international competition she has dispelled with her opponents at the halfway mark and
walked to a comfortable victory. Unphased by the challenge from Ni Chonaill, the St Josephs athlete, pushed the pace harder.

Behind her Ni Chonaill was breathing hard and at her limit. A quick glance over her should, Walsh could see the Castlegar athlete, struggling.

She raced to the finishing lane, taking gold in a time of 4.58. Chloe Lynch (Gowran) took the u18 Pole Vault title. ynch a former high jumper turned to pole vault a few years ago and trains out of Carlow.

She is coached by Mick Hyland who coaches athletes from Kilkenny, Carlow, Kildare, and Wexford.

Pole Vaulters seem to form a hub for training due to the lack of facilities around the country.

For Lynch this was her second national indoor title.

Chloe Lynch, winner of the u-18 pole vault

Vaulting 2.80m, this was an improvement of 50cm from the height she recorded for her 2023 indoor win and 40cm ahead of second placed athlete, Aoibhinn O’Sullivan (Naas).

Success for St Josephs AC

St Josephs AC were very successful at the National indoors taking home three medals. In addition to Amy Walsh’s gold, her brother Evan took silver in the u17 walk and Lily Ryan claimed bronze in the girls u17 walk.

Two more athletes Richard and Ellen Melbourne took part in the u14 and u16 walks respectively. Making St Josephs a little bit of a mecca for race-walking.

Like his sister, Evan has a string of national medals for race-walking.Racing against the brilliant Matthew Newell (Tuam) Evan knew going for gold was a big ask.

Newell has already achieved the u18 European standard. In fact, in taking the gold in a time of 5.59 Newell also broke the eight-year-old national record set by Gearoid McMahon back in 2017.

Walsh recorded 6.46 which was a new personal best. In the absence of Savannagh O’Callaghan who was missing these championships through injury, Lily Ryan seized an opportunity to finally clinch an All-Ireland indoor medal.

This age group is one of the most competitive in the juvenile ranks with Connaught driving that strength. However, it was Munster and not Connaught that scored a victory last Sunday with Aoife Martin of Carriag- Na-Bhfear taking gold.

Ryan remained in third place for the entire race and was never in danger of being passed. Aisling Mullally competed in the u16 Shot Putt and finished 6th .

Tom Doherty in his first ever indoor All-Ireland showed immense courage as he finished 8th in the u12 600m.

Three medals for Alex Cullen

Alex Cullan (Kilkenny City Harriers) is no stranger to national medals. Since entering the juvenile championship ranks at u12 he has succeeded in winning medals across a range of events from High Jump, Long Jump, sprints, hurdles, and combined events.

He cites Long Jump as his strongest event, though his hurdling and recently his 400m sprinting ability have improved immensely. Cullen finished second in the u19 hurdles and long jump and 3rd in the 400m.

Teigin Mtinsi (KCH) and May Timmins (Gowran) reached the top eight of the u-12 Shot Putt

This marks the end of his juvenile indoor career. While he may have achieved two silver medals, it is his bronze in the 400m that was noteworthy.

Cullen qualified as a fastest loser for the final, finishing second to Sean Doggett (Athenry) in the heats. Doggett had a phenomenal run obliterati ng the field with a new personal best of 48.44 just two tenths of a second off the national record.

The real race was for silver and bronze. Three athletes were close for just two medals.

Cullen worked hard over the final 60m to cross the line with Cormac Crotty (Annalee) and Antoin Roquette (DSD). There was virtually nothing between the three athletes.

At the final moments Cullen plunged forward dipping at the line. It wa his final dip that secured the bronze medal.

Another athlete who was competing in her final juvenile indoor competition was Blaithin Holden. Holden finished 3rd in the u19 hurdles.

Holden reached the final in 2023 but did not medal. Thus, her bronze last weekend marks her first ever All-Ireland Indoor medal.

This is a just reward for the KCH athlete who has competed with the club since u10.

Pia Langton (KCH) has medaled in the 800m indoors for the past few years. As an u16 athlete she took bronze and last year she took silver in the u17 800m beaten only by Saoirse Fitzgerald (Lucan) who went on to compete in the European Youths.

In the absence of Fitzgerald, Langton was aspiring for gold. However, Gemma Galvin was the inform athlete.

Galvin had beaten Fitzgerald on Saturday in the 1500m. Unfortunately for Langton, being drawn in a heat that required her to run 2.14 to qualify did not help.

Galvin on the other hand only had to run 2.21 in the first heat. Running a fast heat the same day as a final is not
something any athlete wants to do.

Langton ran very well in the final to produce another 2.14 800m to take yet another silver. She was just four tenths of a second off Gemma Galvin, who took the gold.

Five Kilkenny City Harrier athletes qualified for the 60m finals: Aisling Phelan, Ellen Daly, Cathal Comerford, Adam Slawinski, and Molli Rose Keegan. It was Aisling Phelan who won a medal.

Phelan was beaten by fellow training partner Ellen Daly at the Leinster championships. With 60m a good or bad start can be the difference between winning and losing.

Both Phelan and Daly finished second in their respective heats, with only marginal differences in both their times. Phelan did not get the best of starts but started to come through after the half-way stage.

With about 10m from the line, she moved into third place and a final effort secured her the silver medal, just three tenths of a second ahead of Leah Quelly (KCK). Ellen Daly finished 7th . Daly also finished 4th in the hurdles.

Shot Putt representation

There was representation in various shot putts from four Kilkenny clubs: Brow Rangers, Gowran, KCH and St Josephs.

Three girls u12 had qualified for the u12 shot with all three making the final eight: Isabella Quaglia (KCH), Teagin Mtinsi (KCH) and May Timmins (Gowran).

Quaglia is the daughter of Emily Maher who finished 2nd at the European u20 championships 200m back in 1999 and 3rd in the 100m. With a mother who was an international sprinter and a father who played Rugby for Argentina, shot putt represents the strengths of both parents.

Bronze for Lamph

Victor Lamph (Thomastown) secured a bronze medal in the u16 60m hurdles. The 2023 outdoor bronze medal hurdler, finished second in his heat in a time of 8.98 and was the third fastest athlete going into the final.

Just like the 60m a good start can be everything. Fortunately for Lamph he got off to a good start and after 10m the final position of the athletes remained the same.

Lamph finished 3rd in a time of 8.93 making an improvement on his time from the heats. Alex Cullen secured silver in the u19 hurdles with Blaithin Holden a bronze in the u19 girls.

There were however some near medals. Daniel Greene (KCH) finished 4th u13 as did Ellen Daly in the girls u15 hurdles.

Both athletes were very close to medals. This marks the end of the 2024 Indoor season. The County Track and Field Championships will commence on Sunday April 28 in Scanlon Park, Kilkenny.