Kerryman Article 14/7/09

The AAI Woodies DIY National juvenile championships were held in Tullamore last weekend with no fewer than twenty national records falling which was unprecedented in Irish juvenile athletics.Kerry athletes were not to be left out with Claire Fitzgearld and Aoife O Carroll both Tralee Harriers taking three of these records.
   Claire wrote her name into the record books with a throw of 42.37m in the under 19 discus. That throw came in the second round and it bettered the old record that was held by none other than Eileen O’Keeffe, whose throw of 40.87m was set back in 1999.A second record fell to the Tralee girl when she won the shot with a best of 13.30m to better the 12.92m of Mary Mahon in 1984. Aoife O Carroll romped home to victory in the u12 60m in a new national record of 8.52 and for good measure finished fourth in the long jump.
  Aoifes brother Eoin O Carroll collected two gold over the two days even though he was carrying an injury and jumped sparingly;he was still an easy winner of the u15 long jump and triple jump.Louise O Connor picked up a silver in the u15 250m hurdles where the winner broke the national record and her Tralee harriers team mates Cian Foley picked up silver in the u19 100m and Danny Pierce bronze in the u15 High jump.
   Ailbhe Courtney of St Brendans AC decimated the field in the u18 300m hurdles in a PB of 44.81 and also added bronze in the triple jump and 300m sprint in 41.50.Daniel Shanahan also won gold in the u15 250m hurdles with a powerful run over the first 150m where he more or less had the race wrapped up.Other St Brendans AC medals came from Sharon O Mahoney who won the u17 steeplechase,Una Marley winner of the u16 pole vault,Brendan Dunne second in the u14 hammer,Clarence Kennedy second in a very close u17 100m hurdles,Michael Grimes,David Hogan and Jamie Green all second in the u15/u17/u19 boys pole vaults with the latter with a good clearance of 3.20m and Luke O Keeffe third in the u17 400m.
  Rita Casey was Gneeveguilla’s star athlete over the weekend winning the girls u14 discus and again throwing well in the javelin to finish second.Again in the throws Danielle O Connor finished second in the u12 Shot, Mel O Callaghan placed third in the u14 hammer and Hannah O Sullivan 3rd in the u15 discus.Eilish Fitzpatrick eased home for an easy win in the u19 100m.
   Jonathan Foley Farranfore Mainevalley AC added the national u16 pole vault title to his collection with a clearance of 3m.Maria Flynn picked up yet another national hammer medal in her last year as a juvenile finishing second in the u19 category.Her sister Karen added a bronze in the u18 hammer.Denis Hayes also picked up a bronze in the boys u18 hammer.
   Conal O Callaghan and Billy Courtney of Spa Muckross made the long trip up also and weren’t disappointed with both picking up bronze medals;Conal in the u19 100m and Billy in the u12 high jump.
   Last but not least Jason Foley of Lios Tuathaill AC was involved the closest race of the weekend in the u13 60m hurdles.It took the officials over an hour to decide on the first three places through the camera with Jason finishing third only 0.01 off first and second.
   Other athletes who were close to winnig medals over the weekend were Karen Curran Iveragh u17 800m,Darragh McDonnell Estuary u16 100m and long jump,Ciara Walshe Tralee u17 300m hurdles,Stewart Nolan St Brendans u17 300m hurdles and Rebecca Daly Gneeveguilla u13 60m.