Connacht
Indoor Championships
The 2020 Connacht Indoor Track and Field Championships were held in the Athlone IT Arena last weekend over two days, with huge numbers in attendance both days. There was great success for Galway clubs and athletes on both days of competition.
At Juvenile level on Saturday, Galway
clubs saw wins via Jack Cahill of Craughwell AC who won the U12 Boys Hurdles
and Grace McGrath of Tuam AC, who won gold in the Girls 600m distance race
Lauren Morgan of Craughwell AC was the
winner of the U12 Girls Long Jump, with clubmate Sam Casey claiming gold in the
Boys section. At U12 level, Ava Doyle of Craughwell proved strongest in the U12
Girls Shot Putt taking the title, while in the Boys section Oran Collins
claimed gold again for Craughwell
In the High Jump Craughwell athlete Sam
Casey made it a double victory for him on the day taking a second gold, with Rebecca
Moynihan of Tuam AC taking gold in the Girls section.
Keevagh Barry of Craughwell AC won
double gold as she sprinted well to win the U13 Girls 60m, while also claiming
the Long Jump gold.
In the field at U13 level, Juno Hayes of
GCH won the Shot Putt. In the U13 High Jump, Conor Penny took gold for Craughwell
AC, with Emma O’Donovan of Craughwell AC claiming individual gold in the U13
Girls High Jump.
In the distance events, Clodagh Fallon
of Tuam was most impressive in victory in the U13 Girls 600m and Matthew Newell
of CRH won the 1k Walk
Day one relays saw great excitement with
gold for Loughrea AC in the U12 Girls and Galway City Harriers in the U13 Boys equivalent.
Craughwell AC did the double as their squads stormed to victory in the U12 Boys
and U13 Girls races.
Sunday’s action saw the older age group competing from U14 upwards, with further Galway success across the packed event programme. Darragh Fahy of Loughrea impressed winning double gold in the Boys 60m Hurdles and Long Jump at U14 level, as did Craughwell’s Ella Farrelly as she won the 60m Hurdles, and Long Jump.
On the track in the U14 events, Orlaith Mannion of South Galway AC won gold in the U14 Girls 60m while Ronan Duggan of GCH won the Boys sprint title. In the field, Darragh Kelly took High Jump gold for Craughwell, and Cian Rafferty of Tuam AC won the Shot Putt. Oisin Phelan leaped to Long Jump gold for Tuam in the U14 Boys event. South Galway AC girls team won Relay gold, and GCH took the Boys crown
At U15 level, sprinter Aoibhe Donnellan
of Craughwell produced a great performance to take gold in the 60m in the Girls
section. Nicole Duffy of Clare River Harriers won the U15Girls Hurdles title by
a clear margin, with Evan Moran of GCH claiming gold in the Boys hurdles. In
the U15 Relays, GCH won the Boys gold with Craughwell AC winning the Girls race.
In the U15 Walk Sinead Maher of Craughwell AC took gold.
At U16 level Mathieu Madden of GCH was
outstanding, claiming triple gold, winning the 60m Sprint title, the 60m
Hurdles, and High Jump. Stephen Mannion of South Galway AC was another whose
performances stood out winning 200m gold, and Long Jump individually, as well
as helping his South Galway team to a dramatic win in the 4x200m relay by the
narrowest of margins.
Liam Shaw’s U16 Shot Putt victory for
Athenry was one of the highlights of the day as he set a championship best,
throwing 15.41 metres.
In the U16 Girls events, Caoimhe Farrell
of Loughrea AC won the Sprint hurdles, while Kelsey Wall of GCH took 200m gold.
Over the distance events at U16 level, Fauve Aylmer of GCH ran well in claiming
the 800m gold medal. GCH won the U16 Girls Relay. In the jumps, Jade Moorhead
of Craughwell AC took the honours in the U16 Girls High Jump.
At U17 level, Conor Hoade of Galway City
Harriers was another impressive performer on the day, winning triple gold,
claiming both the 60m sprint and Hurdles and later the 200m title. William
McDonnell of GCH continued his good form winning U17 1500m gold. Roisin Geaney
of South Galway AC was victorious in the Girls 800m. In the field, Saoirse
Pierce of Craughwell AC won the High Jump title, and Jack Hession of Tuam AC
won the Boys Long Jump gold medal. Galway clubs won two golds in the Shot Putt via
Oisin Keane in the Boys for GCH and Ella Rafferty of Tuam AC in the Girls.
Aoife Waldron of GCH was victorious in the U17 Girls Pole Vault. Finally, GCH
won both Relay titles in the Boys and Girls events an indication of their
strength in depth at this level
In the U18 events, the hugely talented Andrew
Egan of GCH won double gold in the Boys 60m and 200m events, Paschal Walsh of
GCH won the 400m title, with GCH winning the Boys relay title also.
Conor Trehy of GCH was a triple winner,
as he ran a cracking 60m Hurdles to take U18 gold, and claimed the Long Jump
and Triple Jump titles as well. Eimear Rowe of GCH took gold in the U18 Girls
400m and later 200m silver. Meanwhile in the field events, Ellie Cronin of
Craughwell AC won the High Jump title, while Aoibhin Farrell of Loughrea AC won
the Girls Triple Jump
Robert McDonnell of GCH showed his class
in winning the U19 Boys 400m in sub 50 seconds. Richard Kmasen of GCH was
another athlete who had a brilliant day winning the 60m and 200m on the track,
and made it three golds in the Triple Jump. GCH’s Eoghan Jennings won double
gold, taking the Hurdles and winning the Long Jump as well. Seren O’Toole of
GCH won gold in the Girls U19 400m race, while Ciara Maguire of Tuam AC won the
Girls Hurdles. GCH won U19 Relay gold in the Boys and Girls events
Kyle Moorhead of Craughwell AC impressed
winning the U19 Boys 1500m
At Senior level in the sprints, Darren
Costello of GCH won the senior 60m sprint with Cormac Kearney of Craughwell
winning the Masters 60m. Costello later added the Senior 200m title in a
dominant display of sprinting.
The Ladies 800m race was exciting as Sinead
Gaffney of Craughwell just held off Kathryn Casserly of GCH, to take 800m
victory. In the Men’s 800m, Paul Joyce of Craughwell set a blistering pace to
win Connacht gold in 1.56
Over 1500m Luke Evans of Craughwell AC
won the Senior Men’s race in 4.21.
Craughwell’s Arlene Earls impressed
taking the Senior Women’s 400m title in 63.30; Owen Scully took Connacht gold
for GCH in the Men’s 400m
In the Field events, Craughwell athlete
Laura Cunningham took the Senior Women’s Long Jump title in a season’s best of
5.04m, while Brendan Lynch of Loughrea claimed gold in the Senior Men’s event
Mary Barrett of Loughrea AC took gold in
the Senior Ladies High Jump as well as victory in the Shot Putt at Masters Level.
In the throws, Brendan Staunton of GCH
won the Senior Men’s Shot Putt, with Sinead Keon of Loughrea AC winning the
Ladies gold medal
Maree
8km
Kevin Mooney of Craughwell AC and Tara
Whyte of Galway City Harriers were the winners at the annual Maree 8km held
Sunday last. Mooney clocked 25.33 for a clear win over second Mick Fogarty and
third Arkadiusz Skupin. Tara Whyte ran 33.06 for victory
in the Ladies section ahead of Edel Kelly of Athenry AC second and third home
was GCHs Sinead Kelly.
Fixtures
National
Indoor Senior Championships
The Irish Life Health National Indoor
Senior Championships take place next weekend over two days February 29th and
March 1st in the National Indoor Arena in Dublin, and many of Galway’s top
track and field athletes will travel in search of silverware, such as Sean
Breathnach of GCH in the Shot Putt, and GCH sprinters Cillin Greene and Nicole
Walsh who will go over 400m.
Gort
5km
The Gort 5km race takes place on Sunday
1st March next, organised by South Galway AC.
The race will start at 1.30pm and race
entrants are asked to assemble outside Gort Community Centre at 1.20pm prior to
being walked to the start line by race Marshalls.
Registration will open at 11.30am in
Gort Community centre where pre-registered entrants can collect their race packs.
