Strong Kildare performances at AAI Games
Newbridge AC athletes who took part in the 16x100m relay at the Morton Games Photo: Perri Williams
In tandem with the All-Ireland Combined Events, the AAI Games were held at Morton Stadium, Santry, where several Kildare athletes were in action. Robert Hewison (Kildare AC) had a great win in the 800m. Hewison led the field for the first 400m, flanked closely behind by Conal Kirk (Candor), Finn Wooder (MSB) and Kevin McGrath (Bohermeen). The Kildare AC athlete made a move on the back straight to push ahead of the group and succeeded in creating a lead of two meters. Rounding the final bend McGrath surged attempting to challenge Hewison. However, Hewison was in control of the race and powered ahead. Never relinquishing his lead, he crossed the line in first place in a time of 1:50.33 with McGrath in second place. Hewison has been in great form of late. His recent run of form saw him claim his first ever All-Ireland senior medal at the National Seniors a few weeks ago, when he finished in 3rd place.
Caoimhe Cronin (Le Cheile) had a busy weekend. Cronin took part in the Morton Games on Friday and was in action at the AAI Games on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday Cronin finished fourth in the 200m recording a new season’s best of 25.06. She was back again for more action on Sunday finishing fifth in the 400m.
The Wright sisters Holly and Cara (Crookstown-Millview) were in action on Saturday in the discus. Holly produced an excellent throw of 41.68 to finish in 4th place, securing a new personal best. Cara finished in 6th place with a throw of 34.83. The event was won by the Irish senior national champion Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrocks) with Annesofie Hartmann Nielson of Denmark in second place. Holly has been making in-roads into senior competition over the past year, finishing high up in excellent fields.
Several ladies and men from Kildare took part in the 100m and 200m over the two days of the AAI games. All gaining great experience from top class senior competition. Athletes such as Celbridge AC’s Ria Kelly, Sarah Millea, Steven Oyinola and James Sullivan. From Le Cheile Conor Vandervoorde and Keely Hogan. Naas AC athletes Eoin Murphy, Sarah Kiernan and Mia Allen along with Crookstown-Millview’s Anna Taylor took part. Anna Sweeney (Naas) took part in the Long Jump, finishing fifth with a leap of 4.79m. There were two personal bests achieved; Conor Vandervoorder (Le Cheile) achieved a new personal best in the 200m with Rory Ardiff, also getting a best in the 400m hurdles. Dylan Heffernan (Clane AC) finished fourth in the heat of the 400m hurdles.
This week witnessed an unprecedented series of domestic competition. Flaked on either side by weekends of elite competition at the Paris and Monaco Diamond Leagues. The Cork City Sports hosted a series of international and national athletes last Tuesday at the newly refurbished MTU track. Three days later some of those same elite athletes travelled to Santry for the Morton Games. It was a week where the athletics fans at both locations witnessed an unprecedented number of athletes recording a sub-four-minute mile. In Cork twelve athletes went under the magic four-minute mark, with thirteen doing so in Santry. As part of the pre-programme there was a mile relay for juveniles. This novel concept was run for the first time in 2023 with much success. Sixteen members of the clubs run 100m each, all building up to a one-mile relay. Newbridge AC were the only Kildare club to take part and finished in a very creditable fourth place.
Elsewhere on the night, other athletes also took part. In the Junior ladies mile, St Coca’s AC Meave Caffery finished 10th. The race was won by Gemma Galvin (Ennis Track) in a new meet record. James Smith (Celbridge) took part in the men’s junior mile. Smith finished 11th in a race that was won by Clonliffe’s Sean Cronin.
The main programme included the Irish Universities Swedish mixed relay. DCU took the title with Le Cheile’s Caoimhe Cronin being part of the team. Runo Ayavoro (Newbridge) competed in heat 1 of the 100m and finished 3rd.
The week ahead is an exciting one for two juvenile athletes. Cillian Gleeson will make his u18 European Championship debut in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, this week. Competing in the 3,000m Gleeson’s event is being held at 10.35am (Irish time) next Sunday. The Celbridge AC athlete is currently ranked eighth in Europe for this event.
Competing in the SIAB International is Theo Hanlon (Suncroft). Hanlon won the Tailteann Games in the Shot Putt and was unlucky not to qualify for the European u18 Championships, missing out by just 3cm while competing in Sweden last month. The SIAB International will take place in Wales this coming Saturday.
The National Juvenile Championships will take place over the coming two Sundays in Tullamore. Juveniles from all over Kildare will be in action on both days all bidding for those coveted All-Ireland medals. Kildare will have athletes who are out to retain the titles they won in 2023 while others are making their All-Ireland debut. All athletes are reminded to wear their club singlets.
It was the turn of Edenderry, Co. Offaly to host the race seven of the Peugeot Road race series. The ten-mile race held over a challenging course had a large turnout with almost four hundred athletes participating. Terry Shanley (Clane AC) was the first Kildare man across the finish line. Shanley recorded a time of 56.26 for the ten-mile race. Clane AC finished in 8th place in the team section.
