National Indoor Masters Championships
The Irish Life Health National Indoor Senior Championships
were held last weekend in Athlone Indoor Arena in AIT, and there was great
medal success for many of Galway’s top veteran track and field athletes.
Galway City Harriers Ladies won gold in the 4x200m Relay (Sinead Foran, Majella Loftus, Niamh Hennelly and & Kathryn Casserly) while GCH’s Men won team bronze in the relay also. (Both pictured above)
GCH throwers had a good day with Brendan
Staunton and Sean Breathnach taking two golds apiece at O35 and O40 level respectively
in the Shot Putt and Weight for Distance throws (with Breathnach taking the
Senior WFD title) and Richard O' Hanlon won bronze in the Over 60 Shot Putt
competition.
On the track Kathryn Casserly won a superb
double silver at 800m and 1500m in the O40 section, while Niamh Hennelly took
bronze in her 1500m race with Jean O'Connor just behind in fourth.
Jim Phelan took Masters silver in the 400m
and bronze in the 200m at O45 level.
The evergreen Martin McEvilly took O70 gold
in the 800m, and silver in his 1500m and 3000m events, and Margaret Sheridan
placed third in the Ladies O55 800m category.
Craughwell sprinter Ronnie Warde led the way as
his Craughwell squad sealed their first Masters team title with a fantastic
victory in the 4x200m relay.
The team of John Walkin, Ronnie Warde, Evan
Morgan and Cormac Kearney blazed away from the field to seal a comfortable
victory ahead of Gowran AC in Second and GCH in third.
In addition to that Warde claimed two
individual medals., 60m Silver in a fine time of 7.31 and a 200m Bronze in
24.66.
Stephen Casserly won silver in the 1500m at
O35 level for Castlegar AC
Mary Barrett of Loughrea AC took four golds
in the High Jump, LongJ ump, Shot Putt and Weight throw, with bronze in the 60m
for good measure, while clubmate Pat Hannon made a return to action with bronze
in the 800m for Loughrea at O60 level.
Tommy Farragher of Corofin AC won gold in the
Weight and silver in the Shot at O70 level, while Margaret Higgins also of
Corofin AC claimed five golds at O65 level in the Ladies events.
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Kinvara Rock and Road races
The Kinvara Rock and Road series of distance
races were held last Saturday 7th March in Kinvara, Co. Galway, with large
fields turning out across the three race programme.
The 10km race was won by Louis McCarthy of Rathfarnham in 33.26, ahead of GCH duo Neill Keane and Diarmuid Hennessy, with first lady home Julie Kirwan in 39.09. David Bohan of GCH won the Half Marathon in a time of 1.15.32, after a great battle with Brian Furey of Rathfarnham in second, while Jane Ann Meehan was first lady home in 1.23.15, again for GCH, with clubmate Grainne Ni Uallachain not far behind in 1.23.58. (Pictured below are the top 3 ladies in the Kinvara Rock and Road Race)
Mayo AC athlete John Byrne was an impressive winner of the Marathon in 2 hours 36 minutes, while the first lady home was Christine Kinsella in 3 hours 16 minutes.
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Irish Schools Cross Country
The hugely competitive Irish Schools Cross
Country Championships was held in Santry in Dublin last Saturday, and there were
a number of impressive Galway performances, notably from Mathys Bocquet of
Calasanctius Oranmore who was a superb fifth in the Junior Boys race.
Rian De Bairead was another who impressed
with 20thplace in the Senior Boys race for Colaiste Einde Gaillimh.
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Irish Universities Cross Country
NUI Galway athletes narrowly missed out on national
silverware Saturday last in Cork Institute of Technology at the Intervarsities
Cross Country.
NUIG Men’s team placed fourth overall, just two
points off a medal, and were led home by a great run from Pierre Murchan, in fourth
place while Donal Devane in seventh also ran exceptionally well.
The other Men’s team scorers were Aaron
Brennan, Finley Daly, James Frizzell, and Jack Miskella .
NUI Galway Ladies’ team were fifth team home,
led by Aoife O Brien, with Rhona Pierce, Fiona Molloy and Eibhlin McCarthy completing
the four scorers.
Top billing on the day went
to Caron Ryan of Trinity College and Craughwell AC continued her great season,
claiming individual bronze in the Ladies race
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St Patrick’s Day Mile
Tuam AC host a mile race in conjunction with
St Patrick Days in the town, 17th March next, open to all, with the
event starting at 1.30pm in the town square.
