Another senior title for Alexander Wallace
Crookstown athletes at the County League (L to R Ella Cosgrove, Ella Kearney, Amy Brennan, Cara Kavanagh and Clodagh Sands).
Saturday was the turn of the younger juveniles. St Coca’s hosted the second round of the County League, which saw several hundred juveniles descend upon Kilcock.
On Sunday Newbridge hosted the Road Championships, where double European masters medallist Alexander Wallace (St Coca’s) took yet another victory, this time over 10km. Gillian Clyne (Clane) was the ladies 5km winner.
The college terms are drawing to a close as exams loom. Just before that happens, the Irish University (IUAA) track and field championships take place. This year it was the turn of MTU to host the event. As usual athletes swap their club singlets for their college ones and compete on the same team as their usual competitors and often on the opposite teams to their clubmates.
Athletes from Le Cheile, Crookstown-Millview, Naas, St Coca’s and Celbridge took part in the two-day fixture. There was a triple silver success, starting with Meabh Caffery (St Coca’s) taking the silver in the 1500m for Maynooth. Caffery ran a solid tactical race staying with Kilkenny’s Hannah Kehoe (UCD), Elizabeth Gahan (DCU) and the UCC pair of Alex Cashman and Lucy O’Flynn. Kehoe made a move with 300m to go and the race for home began. Caffrey looked strong going up the back straight and moved into the silver medal position.
While there was a battle for the medals, the podium positions began to unfold down the home straight. Kehoe had moved clear with Caffrey a clear second. This is the young St Coca’s athlete first IUAA championships.
In the Discus Crookstown-Millview’s Holly Wright (DCU) was up against Anna Gavigan (DCU) who represented Ireland at last years European u23 championships. Gavigan proved too strong for the remainder of the field as she continues to throw over 50m. Wright threw 41.60m, over five meters clear of the bronze medallist Claire Kennedy representing ATU.
Well known for her multi-event talents Naas AC athlete Alison Dempsey took silver in the pentathlon after a rigorous five event schedule over the two days. Representing UCD Dempsey amassed 2629 points with Laura Fawley (UL) taking the gold.
There was plenty of excitement on Saturday as hundreds of young juveniles from both the north and south of the county descended upon the St Coca’s AC track in Kilcock. Competing at the same venue for two different leagues demanded a lot of organisation, which thankfully the team of St Coca’s and Kildare Athletics officials seemed to excel at.
The North saw teams from St Coca’s, Clane, Celbridge, Eire Og/Tir mona and Le Cheile battle for top honours. While in the South, Naas, Crookstown-Millview, Newbridge, Kildare and Suncroft engaged in their own battle.
Once again it was Maya Rus (St Coca’s) who continued to impress in the Northern league. Rus as expected won the Long Jump. The National u12 champion and record holder leaped a magnificent 4.37m, some 77cm ahead of her nearest opponent Eve Smullen (Tir Mona).
With a little gentle persuasion from the team at St Coca’s, Rus lined up for the 600m. Unsure what to expect, all spectators eyes were turned on the eleven year old. Taking off like a rocket, Rus was well clear within 100m of the race. Some sceptics may have said as a sprinter, she would not stay at that pace and would for sure drop back to the chasing group. Rus never did join that chasing group and finished the 600m in first place over 100m ahead of her St Coca’s clubmate Tara Fagan. Gearbhan Prendergast (St Coca’s) emulated Rus’s efforts as he also took an u12 long jump and 600m double.
The Clane AC girls u13 – the recent All-Ireland u13 relay medallists, displayed performances that completely dominated their age-group. A clean podium sweep in the 100m (O’jane Bangura, Amelia Owie and Anna Gray) was followed by a top four in the shot putt (Owie, Bangura, Stephanie Johnson and Gray). Their clubmate Hannah O’Dea completed the u11, 300m and Long Jump double.
Elsewhere it was Theo Veale (Celbridge) who impressed in the boys u10 60m as he coasted to victory from Clane’s Maximus Bangura. Veale finished second to St Coca’s Donnacha Povall in the turbo javelin.
Jack Begley (Tir Mona) took the u9 100m title. While St Coca’s has a clean sweep of the boys u13 shot putt, headed by Eamonn Nolan. The club had a further clean sweep in the boys u9 turbo javelin (Nate Keane, Alfie Noone and Tom Shanahan) and in the boys u12 Long Jump (Gearbhan Prendergast, Harry Naughton and Ted Davis).
34 competed in the boys u11 Long Jump which was won by Ryan Erhabor (Clane) from Zak Power (Celbridge).
In the South Sarah Cousins (Suncroft) raced well to take gold in the u13 100m. Cousins of course is a versatile athlete who does well over hurdles, shot and long jump too. She also took second in the shot putt behind clubmate Adele Geoghegan. Simone Coughlan (Crookstown-Millview) looks set to emulate the pathway of her elder sister Georgia as she took the girls u8 100m convincingly.
The boys u13 was the shot putt of champions with All-Ireland gold medallist James Dooley (Newbridge) paving yet another golden path. Behind Dooley it was Darragh O’Loughlin (Kildare) who took silver and Dylan Byrne (Naas) the bronze. In an unusual departure from his normal shot-putt concentration, Dooley also took the 100m victory, making it a double for the Newbridge man.
Eibhlin Valentine (Naas) won the girls u12 Long Jump with a strong leap on her final jump. Daniel Rohan (Crookstown-Millview) took the boys u12 long jump from his first round effort.
The “biggest success of the day was the cooperation of our teenage athletes” said St Coca’s coach Carmel Kelly. There were about 18 teenagers who helped out at every event throughout the morning (North league) and afternoon (South League). All giving back a little to the sport that has given them so much.
As with road races all over the country, the numbers competing in this years Newbridge AC 10km and 5km road race were up. So too were the Kildare County Championship numbers – the tell tale sign of the current Irish running boom amongst masters athletes. Gillian Clyne (Clane AC) took the ladies 5km title in a time of 18.35.
Clyne has been on fire since the start of the cross-country season, sweeping up accolades in several county and Leinster events. Behind her the ever-stalwart present of Emma Boland took silver in a time of 19.05. In fact the Newbridge ladies produced the remarkable feat of occupying the second to fifth positions.
It was therefor no surprise that it was Newbridge AC that took the ladies team title. The team of Emma Boland, Alison Duff, Michelle Guiney, Irene Lopez Martin scored an incredible 14 points. Celbridge were second and Naas AC were third.
The men competed over the longer distance of 10km. Once again it was the brilliant Alexander Wallace (St Coca’s) who took another title. Wallace the double European masters silver medallists, took the overall race victory, the county title and the masters over 40 title. His time of 31.08 reflected his comfortable victory where he took the lead from the gun, pulling away from the main field after 2km.
Martin Hoare (Celbridge) made a welcome return to competition finishing in second with a time of 31.56 while his clubmate Colm Roche took bronze in 32.15. It was Celbridge who dominated the men’s race. The team of Martin Hoare, Colm Roche, Conor Burke and David O’Connor scoring 18 points to take the gold. Newbridge were second with St Coca’s in third.
