by owen
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Tipperary athletes enjoyed a hugely successful weekend at the 123.ie National U20 & U23 Track & Field Championships in Tullamore held on 4th/5th July, producing an impressive collection of national titles, medals, personal best performances and top-six finishes across a wide range of events.
The county’s athletes demonstrated tremendous depth and quality throughout the two days of competition, excelling on both the track and in the field.
The endurance events produced several podium finishes. Laura Cooney of Clonmel AC secured a bronze medal in the U23 Women’s 5000m, clocking 17:15. In the U23 Men’s 5000m, Luke Purcell of Nenagh Olympic AC led the county challenge with a fifth-place finish in 15:28, while clubmate Jamie Moloney finished seventh in 15:57 and Thurles Crokes athlete Tom Tracey placed sixth in 15:46.
Nenagh Olympic’s Cian Hodgkins delivered a fine performance to claim bronze in the U23 Men’s 1500m, crossing the line in 3:56.34. In the U20 Men’s 5000m, Diarmuid Moloney added another national medal for Tipperary, taking bronze in an impressive time of 15:03.
The field events proved particularly fruitful for Tipperary athletes.
In the sprint events, Newport AC’s Sophie Walker finished third in her heat of the U20 Women’s 400m in 58.95 seconds and later placed third in her heat of the 200m in 25.74 seconds. Nenagh Olympic’s Ben Deegan competed in both the U20 Men’s 100m and 200m, finishing fifth in his 100m heat in 12.04 seconds and sixth in his 200m heat in 24.01 seconds. Clubmate Ruairí Walsh placed fourth in his heat of the U20 Men’s 400m in 54.89 seconds. Despite strong performances, no Tipperary athletes progressed from these highly competitive sprint heats.
Clonmel AC’s Cara Ryan captured the national U20 Long Jump title with a winning jump of 5.85m, while Nenagh Olympic’s Áine Frawley secured silver in the same event with 5.59m.
Carrick-on-Suir AC’s Sarah Bartley continued her excellent season by taking silver in the U20 Triple Jump with another jump beyond the 11-metre mark. Nenagh Olympic’s Clodagh Donohoe finished eighth with 9.96m.
Another championship gold medal went to Carrick-on-Suir AC’s Emma O’Neill, who won the U23 Triple Jump with a best effort of 10.87m. O’Neill also claimed bronze in the U23 Long Jump with a leap of 5.40m.
In the throws, Morgan Deasy of Borrisokane AC delivered one of the standout performances of the weekend, winning gold in the Weight for Distance competition with a superb throw of 9.27m, finishing over two metres clear of her nearest rival. He later added sixth place in the U20 Discus with 40.90m.
Niamh Madden of Nenagh Olympic AC secured bronze in the U20 Shot Put with a throw of 11.13m and followed up with fifth place in the Discus with 32.30m. Emily Stapleton of Borrisokane AC finished sixth in the U20 Hammer Throw with 41.49m.
The U20 Men’s Hammer Throw saw three Tipperary athletes finish in the top six. Templemore AC’s Bobby Gleeson claimed an excellent silver medal with 56.99m, while Jack Tierney of Borrisokane AC was fourth with 50.76m and Templemore AC’s Jeffrey Myles placed sixth with 49.11m.
Templemore AC’s Cathal Ryan added another silver medal to the county tally in the U20 High Jump, clearing 1.65m to finish second. Nenagh Olympic’s Ella Ryan rounded off the county’s performances with eighth place in the U20 400m Hurdles in 71.90 seconds.
Across the two days of competition, Tipperary athletes secured an outstanding haul of national medals, including multiple championship titles, while numerous athletes achieved personal best performances and top-six finishes.
Gerry Donohoe
Senior Track PRO
