Fintan Walsh's weekly blog

Athlone the venue for National Senior Indoors

On Saturday and Sunday next Ireland's best athletes will be in action
at the National Senior Indoor Championships in Athlone and Waterford
will be very well represented there. Local  athletes expected to
defend titles are Kelly Proper in the 200 metres and long jump,Thomas
Barr 400 metres, Niall Tuohy 800 metres,David Mc Carthy 5000 and quite
a few more will be hoping to figure also.On Saturday the first event
is at 12 noon and on Sunday at 11.30 am,most of the finals are on
Sunday.

Kelly fifth in Sheffield

At the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield on Sunday last Kelly
Proper was 5 th in the long jump with a mark of 6.21 metres some way
below her best. The winner of the event cleared 6.73 metres.

Two Ferrybank wins in Scotland

Thirty five young athletes from Ferrybank AC competed in the Scottish
Under age Indoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday and they two won
titles,one on each day. A  comparative newcomer to the sport Phoebe
Murphy won the 200 metres under 20 in 24.78 seconds and Praise Owoeye
won the under 13 long jump with 4.65 metres and finished second in the
60 metres and shot putt with personal bests in all three,two others
finished third in the under 20 grade Neasa Murphy in the high jump
with 1.60 metres and Steven Walsh in the 200 metres with 22.23 while
Priscilla Ademoye was 4th in the high jump u 15.

USA News

At an indoor meeting in Boston University last week end  Shane Quinn
finished 9 th in a 3000 metres race in a personal best time of 8
minutes 00.34 seconds just outside the European Indoor Qualification
time of 8 minutes even. The overall winner of the event Isaac Pressen
Furman Elite clocked 7.50.60. 95 athletes competed in 6 heats and the
result went on time. In Vienna on Friday last Niall Tuohy was 6 th in
a good class 800 metres in 1.50.4. On Sunday Joe Gough competed as a
guest in the Leinster Masters Indoors and won the over 55  400 metres
and over 60 200 metres.

Jake Bagge wins Munster Schools title

On Thursday last the GloHealth Munster Secondary Schools Cross Country
Championships were held in CIT Grounds in Cork and athletes from
Waterford Schools performed very well.There was a a win at minor level
for the very consistent Jake Bagge Árd Scoil na Mara Tramore and
second placings for Aisling Quinn Ursuline in the senior grade- she
was beaten very narrowly- and Aaron Donnelly Abbey Community College
at junior level, Miceál Power St Augustine's was third in the
intermediate grade and Shane O'Neill De La Salle was also third in the
junior section. Other very good performances came from athletes placed
fourth and these were Barry Keane St Declan's Kilmacthomas
senior,Michael Troy St Augustine's minor and Lucy Holmes Árd Scoil na
nDeise minor. In team competitions St Augustine'won the minor boys
with Dungarvan CBS 3 rd, Ursuline Convent won the junior girls and St
Augustine's were second in the intermediate boys while Mean Scoil San
Nioclás An Rinn were third at intermediate level in the girls

Kilmacthomas 5 Miles

230 competed in the 13 th Annual Bausch and Lomb Kilmacthomas 5 Miles
Road Race  on Sunday last and  Andrew Connick Ferrybank was first
overall and Grace Mc Connell (Ballyroan/Abbeyleix ) led the ladies
home..the following were the prize winners.Men 1 Andrew Connick (
Ferrybank ) 25.55 2 Noel Murphy ( Waterford ) 26.29 3 Tony O'Reilly (
Ballyroan/Abbeyleix ) 26.54 4 Alban Coghlan ( Crusaders ) 27.01. Age
Categories M40 Alan Ryan ( West Waterford ) M45 Brendan Aspel (
Waterford ) M50 Martin Hayes ( West Waterford ) M55 Walter Keane (
Waterford). Women 1 Grace Mc Connell ( Ballyroan/Abbeyleix ) 31.41 2
Sally Forristal ( St Joseph's ) 31.51 3 Angela Mc Cann ( Clonmel )
31.58 4 Maebh Savage ( Waterford ) 32.01. Age Categories  W 35 Maebh
Savage W 40 Corina Walsh ( West Waterford ) W45 Elaine Barry ( Tramore
) W50 Bernie Prendergast ( West Waterford ) Junior Aoife Hamilton do.

Mt Juliet Road Races

A number of athletes from the Waterford area got among the prizes in
the Mt Juliet Half Marathon and 10 km on Saturday last. Noel Murphy of
Waterford AC won the 10 km in 35 minutes and 1 second with Alban
Coghlan Crusaders a native of the Carrick on Suir area second in
35.07, Kate Nolan was second in the women's section in the Half
Marathon in 1.30.14 and Martin Kirwan was third in the men's section
in 1.21.44 both from Focus on Fitness, John Hayden Waterford Triathlon
was fourth in 1.23.34 and Shane Curtin Waterford AC was 6 th in
1.28.27 . The course in Mt Juliet is a very demanding one with several
stiff hills.

 Déise College 10 KM on Sunday in Dungarvan

The final road race in the Michael Roche Carpets Spring Series, the 33
rd Déise College Dungarvan 10KM will take place at 11 am.on Sunday
next February 22 nd  The race headquarters at the Dungarvan GAA Club
House which is where the presentation will also take place. Entry fee
8 euro. entries from 10 am

International Competitions

The Major International Competitions for Junior and Youth athletes for
2015 are: European Junior Championships - Eskilstuna, Sweden July 16
th to 19 th Athletes Born:1996 & 1997, World Youth Championships -
Cali, Colombia July 15  th – 19th Athletes Born: 1998 & 1999. European
Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) - Tbilisi, Georgia July 25 th – August
1st Athletes Born: 1999 & 2000