Personal best for Archbold as Kildare athletes take home six All-Ireland medals

THE senior All-Ireland Championships may be over and Olympic selections made, however there is still plenty of track and field competitions remaining that involve a vast array of Kildare athletes from u12 to master’s and of varying abilities. . At the National Juvenile Championships Kildare athlete took home six All-Ireland medals; four silver and two bronze. Kildare ladies and mens teams were in action in the National League last Saturday – the ladies lying in fourth place and the men in fifth.

Finally exciting news this week as Athletics Ireland formally announced the Irish teams for the SIAB and the European u18 Championships. The teams include Cillan Gleeson (Celbridge) on the u18 squad and Theo Hanlon (Suncroft) on the SIAB team.

International Selection There was some good news this week, when Athletics Ireland announced their formal selection of the Irish teams for the European u18 and SIAB Internationals. Cillian Gleeson (Celbridge) was formally selected for the European u18 3000m championship to be held this month in Slovakia. Gleeson’s time of 8.20 places him in eighth position on the European ranking list. He will be joined by Wicklow’s Noah Harris who is currently ranked fourth. Gleeson who moved to the Dublin Track Club training group this year has reduced his 3000m time from 8.42 to 8.20 – a twenty-two second personal best. He first secured the qualifying time at the Irish Milers meet in Santry in May with a time of 8.27. Then a month later he ran 8.20 at the UCD meet.

Amongst those who are on the Irish team for the SIAB Internation to take place in Carmarthen, Wales are Theo Hanlon (Suncroft). Hanlon was unlucky not to make the u18 European Championships. He was a meagre 3cm shy of the qualifying distance. He did win the Tailteann Games and it is from this that he was chosen for the SIAB team. This is not the first time the Suncroft thrower has been selected for the SIAB’s, he was selected last year.

Both Gleeson and Hanlon will be competing over the next two weeks.

National Juvenile Championships A strong contingent of Kildare athletes took part in the first day of the three All-Ireland Championship days where they took home six medals; four gold and two bronze. The next stage will be held in two weeks’ time, again at the same Tullamore venue.

Many of the u13s were experiencing their first All-Ireland competition. Amber O’Connor (Eire Og) finished 3rd in the heat of the u13 60m hurdles and qualified for the final where she finished 8th. This was Amber’s first All-Irelands. Isla Corcoran (Clane) has a little more experience of All-Ireland competitions. As a decent Cross-Country runner, Corcoran has already made several All-Ireland Cross County Championships. This was her second track and field All-Ireland, where she finished a very creditable 4th place in the 600m. Sinead Fitzpatrick (St Abbans) set a blistering pace, splitting the field from an early stage. With 200m to go Corcoran was gaining on the top three athletes and finished just half a second outside of the medals.

Robin Denehan (Clane) is also no stranger to All-Ireland competitions. As an u12 athlete she emerged on the scene to take her first title in the Long Jump Indoor All-Irelands. Over a year later Denenhan is still winning medals for long jump. Last Sunday she finished second in the u13 Long Jump with a new personal best of 4.59m. It was a very close competition where just four centimeters separated second and fourth place.

Max Crampton (Newbridge) reached the final of the u14 60m hurdles where he finished 7th. Ella Hanlon (Suncroft) claimed yet another All-Ireland shot putt medal. Cousin to Irish International shot putter Theo Hanlon, Ella threw a new personal best of 12.41m. The first time she surpassed twelve meters in a competition. Another thrower to do very well was Max Treacy (Kildare AC) who finished 4th in the u15 Javelin. Treacy has been steadily improving over the past two years at this event. Fellow county athlete Hannah McBride (Clane) went one better than Treacy to clinch the bronze medal in the girls u15 javelin. Fellow Clane clubmate Grace Garvey finished 6th.

Having claimed a silver medal at the u16 800m indoors, Jack Gilmartin (Celbridge) was fully determined to make the podium for the outdoors. As expected Daniel Downey (Portlaoise) took the race out at a fast pace, leaving Gilmartin and the other competitors no other option but to follow suit. Maintaining third place for the final lap, Gilmartin warded off a late challenge from Kerry’s Issac Vickers to seal his bronze medal – this first at an outdoor All-Irelands.

John Paul Archbold (Newbridge) was in superb form as he achieved a new personal best in the boys u16 triple jump. In his final jump Archbold leaped to 12.04m, his first time surpassing the 12m mark and securing the silver medal. Archbold has come on in leaps and bounds over the past twelve months in the triple jump, increasing his distance by almost two meters. Another athlete to compete in the Triple Jump was Lydia Fleischer (Celbridge) who finished 6th in the girls u17.

Leah Murray (Kildare) has been consistently in the shot putt medals for the past few years. In keeping with her consistent pattern, Murray threw 11.41m in the girls u17 shot putt to take bronze.

Having witnessed the superb run by his training partner Adam Bradley (Celbridge) set out to emulate this clubmates success. Bradley finished 5th in his heat and qualified for the final, where he finished 7th in a new personal best of 1:56.

St Coca’s AC had three athletes u19, all competing in their final series of juvenile track and field All-Irelands. First up was Meave Caffrey who competed in the 800m, where she finished 5th. It was a race that was dominated by the Leevale duo Claire Crowley and Nicole Dineen. Caffrey will contest the 1500m All-Irelands in two week’s time. Thomas Richards (St Cocas) finished third in a very competitive u19 3000m steeplechase. Richard’s St Coca’s clubmate Alexander Broome qualified for the final of the 800m where he finished 8th. Celbridge AC athlete Abigail O’Leary endured several duckings at the water jump as she finished 4th in the girls u19 3000m steeplechase. Another athlete to compete in her final All-Ireland series is Alison Dempsey (Naas). Athletics has been good to Dempsey where she has won a range of All-Ireland medals throughout her juvenile years. Last Sunday to added more to her collection when she took bronze in the Long Jump.