Gold for Waugh and De Rosario at Leinster Pentathlon
Clane AC boys u15 Relay Team.
The Leinster Relay Championships once again delivered a thrilling showcase of juvenile athletics, with clubs from across Leinster competing in a packed programme at SETU Carlow last Saturday. Kildare clubs featured strongly among the medal winners, with a total of 17 sets of medals across the 27 relay events. 17 teams have now qualified for the National relays in Tullamore, where they hope to perform equally as well.
Ireland’s Kate O’Connor has elevated the status of multi-events across the nation, as more athletes enter and compete in the provincial championships. Competitive action resumed in Carlow last Sunday for the Leinster multi-events championships. It was gold for Ava Waugh (Eire Og) and Cian de Rosario (Clane) in the U14 events, with 11 further medals allocated to Kildare athletes across multiple age groups.
In Irishtown, Dublin, there was a personal best for Meabh Caffrey (St Coca’s) over 800m. Caffrey was one of several senior athletes competing at the Irish milers' meet.
Newbridge AC emerged as one of the dominant forces of the championships, underlining their strength in depth across both boys’ and girls’ relays. Their most dominant performance came in the U17 Boys 4x400m relay, where the team of U17 4x400 Robert Gleeson, Ruaidhri Archbold, Alexander Guther and Kyle Byrne-Ward stormed to gold with a commanding display of speed and baton-changing excellence. With some minor changes, the U17 boys (Robert Gleeson, Eoghan Gallagher, Gabriele Garofalo, Ruaidhri Archbold, and Kyle Byrne-Ward) defeated a strong Crookstown-Millview team to secure another gold, this time in the 4x100m.
This success by the older boys was mirrored in the sprint relays by the younger athletes. The Newbridge quartet of Mason Malone, Oisín Buggy, Robbie McCabe, Gabriel Popoola and Davin Barker secured gold in the U9 Boys 4x100m, holding off a strong last-minute challenge from Dunshaughlin. The club again achieved podium success in the U11 boys 4x100m, as Jack Kenny, Jack Tiernan, Rory Byrne and Conor Farrell took yet another gold for the club, reversing their defeat at the hands of Ratoath from the heats.
The four gold medals were supported by a bronze in the boys' U16 as the team of Tobi Ayodeji, Max Crampton, Jayden Murphy and Henry McCormack worked hard to chase down strong Ratoath and Crookstown-Millview teams. The medals in the younger age groups are particularly significant to strengthen the club's strong development pipeline.
Crookstown Millview AC have an age-old reputation for strength in the relay department. Building upon their indoor success, the club continued their relay journey outdoors. Sixteen teams represented the club at the Leinster relays, with seven of these teams achieving medals. The girls U9 team of Anna Fitzpatrick, Pia Finnegan, Méabh Rossiter, Emily Walsh, Arwen Handy, Lily Anne and Doyle Cullen finished second to Dundalk St Gerard’s in their heat and approached the final as the third fastest of all the qualifiers. It was Dundalk St Gerard’s who won the final with Crookstown-Millview sprinting hard down the home straight to take silver from a fast-finishing Clane. The remainder of the medals came from the older teenagers. The boys U15 team of Dylan Burke, Oran Larkin, Vincent Myerscough, Oliver Guing, Fionn O Duinn and Conor Lawler finished 3rd behind Ratoath and St Laurence O’Toole. Ratoath set a new championship record. Clane AC finished 4th in the same race.
The boys U16 went one place further, securing silver. The team of Oisin McGrath, Charlie Murphy, Charlie O`Neill, Blessed Nleya, Oliver Guing and Daniel Hanlon clocked 48.28 for their silver medal-winning performance. The winners, once again, were Ratoath, who set a new championship record. Kildare were particularly strong in this age group, with Newbridge finishing third and fourth. The girls' U16 team of Lucy Gill, Florence Harte, Ella-Louise Donnelly, Niamh O Shea, Lucy Kealy and Gilda Vittet finished 3rd in a very closely contested race. It was Kilkenny City Harriers who took gold from Ratoath. Crookstown-Millview managed to hold off a challenge from St Abban’s to secure the bronze. Newbridge finished 6th.
It was bronze again for the U17 girls' team of Tuilelaith Mills, Grace Norton, Niamh O Shea, Lucy Kealy, Lucy Gill and Lorelle Houlihan. The boys u17 team of Matthew Osadolor, Blessed Nleya, Daire Molloy, Finian Sexton, Fiacra Molloy and Charlie Murphy went one better than the girls, taking silver behind Newbridge. Finally, the oldest of the Crookstown teams to compete, the girls' U18 team of Eve Wright, Tuilelaith Mills, Annalise Moore, Rachel Beattie, Grace Norton and Lorelle Houlihan, finished second.
St Coca’s u12 star teams St Coca’s AC u12 athletes delivered podium finishes with performances worthy of much praise. The girls team of Matilda Leyden, Amelia Brogan, Zoe Forde, Tara Fagan, Pippa Donnelly and Maya Rus, came through the heats comfortably, thanks to a strong final leg from Maua Rus. Rus as usual delivered an explosive performance. She repeated her explosivity in the final to secure silver for the girls team. The boys u12 team of Garbhán Prendergast, Ted Davis, Charlie Kinsella and Harry Naughton matched the girls performance to secure silver in the final.
Clane AC Make Their Mark Clane AC made a significant contribution to the championships, producing a fine display of baton changing in the girls u13. The team of Hayley Dunne, O Jane Isatu Bangura, Annie Gray, Amelia Osarugue Owie and Indie Mawer took gold in a time of 55.18, a second and a half ahead of St Abbans. Some good change over’s ensured the racing quartet remained smooth and confident. The team won their heat easily and were the fastest of all the qualifiers. Their 55.54 was no match for St Abbans or Ratoath. Continuing their good form into the final, the team were never in danger of securing anything but gold. There was further gold for the club as their U14 boys team of Oisín O Nuáin, Cian D'Rosario, Marius Janusauskas and Adam Clancy also took gold. Leading from the first leg, they were challenged by Barrow Valley on the back straight, a good baton change and strong bend running soon dismissed that challenge. The boys moved further ahead on the home straight to take gold ahead of Kilkenny City Harriers and Barrow Valley. The final medal came from the girls U9 team of Nancy Lil Brady, Cara Smyth, Eva O'Callaghan, Sofia Ó Broin and Katie Tutty, who took bronze in the girls U9 behind Crookstown-Millview.
Three other Kildare clubs had teams competing: Kildare AC, Naas AC and Suncroft AC. The Naas girls U11 team of Méabh Dunlea, Rosa Smullen, Aoife O`Brien, Poppy Prendergast, Erica Fitzpatrick and Lucy Young were somewhat unlucky. The girls won their heat and advanced to the final. In the final, they ran their hearts out, recording the same time as the third-placed team, Ratoath. A photo finish was required to determine the ultimate outcome with the Naas girls unfortunately losing out. Suncroft finished 4th in the boys U12, a race that saw St Coca’s secure silver. For Kildare AC, it was good to see a team in the girls' U14. The team of Saoirse Evans, Taisiya Lyster, Lola O Loughlin and Jessica Aladejana finished third in the heats and advanced to the final, where they finished 6th.
The Irish milers' races have now become a staple for those wishing to compete in some good quality non-championship races at senior level. Starting with Clonmel, then Belfast, the third race was held in Dublin’s Irishtown track. They are races where times rather than positions are more important. Meabh Caffrey (St Coca’) continued her upward trajectory, with another personal best, this time over the shorter distance of 800m. Caffrey finished second to Niamh Murray (Bray). Her time of 2.10.89 marks another significant improvement, as she now has her sights set on a sub-2.10 800m before the season is over. Two Kildare athletes contested the 400m. Caoimhe Cronin (Le Cheile) is by now a familiar figure on the Irish racing circuit. Cronin finished third in a time of 56.30 seconds. Behind her, Eabha Brennan (Newbridge) was making her first IMC appearance. Brennan finished 4th with a time of 57.93, a new personal best. The final athlete to take part was Robert Hewison (Kildare AC), who finished 8th in the prestigious 800m A race.
Following a successful Saturday at the Leinster relays championships, it was back to Carlow again on Sunday for the Leinster Multi-event championships. Numbers competing in this year’s events were up, thanks in no small part to the accolades of Ireland’s Kate O’Connor, who has been a blessing in disguise to highlight the multi-events as another athletics option. O’Connor has five major medals on the world stage over the space of a year and continues to be the poster girl for Irish athletics.
Ava Waugh (Eire Og) topped the podium with a fantastic 2277 points to take gold in the girls' U14 pentathlon. Waugh was one of 15 competitors who took on the five-event challenge. A third-place finish in the first event – the hurdles set Waugh up nicely for a strong competition start. The Eire-og athlete lost some points in the high jump, her weakest event, but performed well in the shot, taking fourth overall. A superb jump of 4.19m moved her back into podium placing, as she jumped the second furthest amongst the 15 athletes. Finally, it was over the 800m that her strength was truly revealed. During a terrific race between Waugh and Amy Watters (Trim), the two athletes dominated with their front-running. With both athletes already in the top three, it literally was a race for the ultimate gold medal. Both athletes secured the same time, 2:32.9, for their 800m efforts. However, it was Waugh who ultimately won the overall Pentathlon title with a total of 2277 points, ahead of Niamh Graham (Bray) and Amy Watters (Trim). Emily Cramer O’Meara, also Eire Og finished 4th.
Three Kildare athletes contested the boys' U14 pentathlon. Cian D’Rosario (Clane) was the ultimate winner with a total of 1,739 points. D’Rosario’s best event was the hurdles where he was just one hundredth of a second behind Max Drennan (Naas). It was his fantastic run of 2.28 minutes over 800m, the final event that sealed his position. Clubmate Adam Clancy stole the show in the 800m with a magnificent piece of front running, that moved him into 4th place overall. Behind Clancy it was D’Rosario who finished second with a time of 2.28.62. Max Drennan (Naas) ultimately finished 5th.
Thirty-one athletes participated in the girls u13 pentathlon with Suncroft’s Sarah Cousin’s securing a silver medal. Cousins route to the podium got off to a good start with a third place overall in the hurdles. A reasonable long jump was followed by an excellent throw of 8.04m in the shot putt, elevating her into second place. A clearance of 1.30m in the high jump (the third best) anchored her even further to the podium. Like most multi-event competitions, it is the final event, the 600m that is the ultimate decider of the final competition standings. Thankfully Cousins, a strong runner could rely on this to secure her a podium finish. She finished second in the 600m in 1.48 to give her the overall second place in the pentathlon.
Eire-Og provided yet another medal winner. In the girls u15, Amber O’Connor finished 3rd. O’Connor didn’t have the start she had hoped for. A slight stumble over the fourth hurdle upset her rhythm, resulting in 8th position out of 14 competitors. Her HJ was her weakness, so O’Connor knew beyond that event things would improve. Indeed they did improve. A 4.42m in the Long Jump move the Eire-of athlete into 6th place. Finishing top of the table in the shot putt with 8.41m put her right on the podium. A third place with a solid run of 2.40 in the 800m ensured she would secure the bronze medal. St Coca’s Mia Mudjadin finished 8th overall.
In the boys u15 Harry Kearney (Naas) took silver in the boys u15 pentathlon. His best event was the shot putt, where he threw over a meter further than his competitors with a best throw of 12.04m. His second place in the high jump (1.50m) and long jump (4.66) ensured his silver medal was secure.
Isabel Burns (Suncroft) secured bronze in the girls u16 pentathlon. A third place in the hurdles got Burns off to a good start. This was followed by an excellent shot putt and long jump performance. Her fourth overall in the 800m secured the bronze medal with over 180 points to spare over Elizabeth Noonan (Edenderry). Olivia Keyes (Naas) finished 6th.
There was much excitement amongst the younger ages as Athletics Leinster hosted the quadrathlon for the U11 and U12 age groups – to a staggering number of athletes, over 40 in each age group. In the girls' U12, Maya Rus (St Coca’s) took the first event (60m) by storm, winning in 8.27 seconds and amassing a total of 349 points, an astounding 56 more than her nearest competitor, Ava Brophy (St Abbans). She increased her lead even further with a 4.49m effort in the long jump. By the time the third of the four events – the shot putt- was completed, Rus was 116 points ahead of her nearest competitor, Aisling Musiime (Ardee). A brilliant 1.52 in the 600m sealed her gold medal with 109 points to spare over Musiime.
Eleven boys from Kildare contested the boys u12 quadrathlon, with Garbhan Prendergast (St Coca’s) being the leading Kildare finisher. Prendergast finished 4th, just 74 points adrift of Kilkenny’s Luke Hanlon. As expected, Prendergast has a superb 600m clocking 1.47 minutes to take top of the table in that event. Four Kildare athletes finished in the top ten. Following Prendergast’s fourth place, Tim Barron (Newbridge) finished 5th, Michael Gardiner (Newbridge) 7th, with Jan Mujadin (St Coca’s) in 9th.
Erica Fitzpatrick (Naas) delivered a magnificent silver-medal performance in the girls' U11 quadrathlon. This was in no small way attributed to her outstanding 19.13m in the turbo jav, over 4m further than her nearest competitors. Her clubmates Aoife O’Brien and Meabh Dunlea finished 4th and 9th respectively.
Five athletes from Kildare took part in the girls' U11 quadrathlon, with six competing in the boys' U11.
The masters and senior athletes also had their day of multi-events. Vivien Fleischer (Celbridge) finished second in the senior ladies. Dylan Heffernan (Clane) was second in the U20. John Molloy (Celbridge) won the over 70s, with Niall Heffernan (Clane) second in the over 50s.
