Clarke smashes championship record at schools finals
All-Ireland Schools champion Seamus Clarke beside his championship record time which he set in Tullamore at the weekend.
Athletics: Ballina star Seamus Clarke sent another walking record tumbling at the 123.ie All-Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships held in Tullamore last Friday and Saturday.
The senior boys 3000m walk was billed as one of the races to watch and it didn’t disappoint with St Muredach’s College student Clarke and Matthew Newell (Coláiste Bhaile Chláir) duking it out from the gun.
Clarke opened up a lead over the closing stages to get the better of his Irish international teammate on this occasion, setting a new championship record of 11:57.47 to better the previous record of 12:15.69 set by Colin Griffin back in 2000.
In addition to Clarke, Patrick Ruane and Adam Kelly also represented St Muredach’s in the junior and intermediate boys 800m respectively, finishing eighth and fifth, while Aoife Blewitt raced in the senior girls 3000m.
Another record that tumbled was in the intermediate girls 3000m. In one of the races of the day both Emma Hickey of St Mary’s New Ross (9:28.14) and Sacred Heart Westport’s Freya Renton (9:33.87) smashed the previous championship record of 9:49.82. Hickey’s kick over the final 200m would ultimately see her take gold in what was a hugely talented field. Freya’s twin sister Holly finished fifth (10:00.15) while Gortnor Abbey Crossmolina’s Aoibhinn Clarke finished in tenth (11:01.05).
Freya would take the gold in the intermediate girls 1500m, with a time of 4:30.59, with Holly in sixth (4:42.97). Aoibhinn Clarke also competed well, finishing further down the field with a time of 5:10.70.
Sacred Heart had another three students competing. Willow O’Malley also pulled double duty in the minor girls high jump and 75m hurdles, finishing sixth in the hurdles. Kasey Walsh was also in the high jump while May Duckett ran in the junior girls 1500m. Rice College’s Gergely Hamlai impressed in the junior boys shot put, finishing fifth with a throw of 11.34m.
Castlebar also had success at the event as Pearl Sands of St Joseph’s won the intermediate girls 2000m walk (9:43.33), while Davitt College’s Isabella Kearney won silver in the intermediate girls hammer and St Gerald’s College student Matthew Kelly finished fourth (53.59) in the intermediate 400m.
Sands’ schoolmate Clodagh Tunney was in the intermediate girls 200m, finishing eighth, and Davitt College’s Benjamin Byrne-Dempsey competed in the intermediate boys high jump.
Ballinrobe Community School duo Barry Langan and Aaron Crowley, looking to follow in the footsteps of former alumnus Oisin Joyce, both won silver in the javelin. Langan came second in the intermediate (50.33m), and in the senior Crowley threw a distance of 52.82m for a silver medal.
Seamus Burke represented the school in the intermediate boys 3000m and 1500m, finishing fifth in the latter, while Alan Lydon was in action in the senior boys high jump.
In the intermediate girls javelin, Emma Edmunson of Sancta Maria College Louisburgh won silver (42.78m) while Niamh Breathnach of St Brendan’s College in Belmullet just missed out on the medals, finishing fourth (35.81m).
Rachel McNicholas of Scoil Mhuire agus Padraig will hope to be the next shot put star from Swinford and follow in the footsteps of Michaela Walsh. She won silver in the minor girls shot put with a throw of 10.89m.
Another Swinford shotputter Tara Nolan finished fifth in the intermediate shotput (10.37m), with Grace Henry of St Nathy’s College in Ballaghaderreen finishing tenth (8.21m). St Louis CS Kiltimagh’s Caoimhe Hughes competed well in the senior shot put (8.18m), of which Michaela Walsh holds the championship record, while Hughes finished seventh in the senior girls javelin (21.76m).
Three other students from Scoil Mhuire agus Padraig in action were Tom Horkan in the junior boys long jump, Sarah Groarke in the minor girls 800m and Emily Gavin in the junior girls 200m. Both Horkan and Groarke competed well in their respective events while Gavin finished fifth.
Elsewhere from East Mayo, St Nathy’s Mila Clancy competed in both intermediate girls 300m hurdles and long jump, St Joseph’s Foxford’s Rory Gruddy finished eighth in the junior boys 1500m, and Emma Maloney of St Louis CS Kiltimagh raced in the senior girls 3000m.
From South Mayo, Ryan Day competed in the minor boys shot put for Colaiste Mhuire, Tourmakeady, while Mount Saint Michael in Claremorris had two students in action: Aine Ramsey (junior girls javelin and shotput) and Ellen Trench (U16 girls mile).
Students from St Attracta’s Tubbercurry took home silver and bronze medals. Alan Cardavid came second in the junior boys hammer (43.66m) and Conor McDonagh won bronze in the senior boys 400m sprint (50.55).
Crissie Doohan represented St Attracta’s in the junior shot put and discus, Andrea Corcoran in the junior girls 800m, and Erin Walsh and Arlin Barrett in the senior girls long jump. Both St Attracta’s and Jesus and Mary SS, Enniscrone were also in relay action. The minor boys for Enniscrone finished sixth in the 4x100m (51.87) while St Attracta’s finished seventh in the senior girls 4x100m (54.92).
