Tipperary athletes produced a host of impressive performances across track and field events at the National Senior Track and Field Championships held at Morton Stadium, Santry, over the weekend, with medals, finals appearances and personal achievements highlighting a successful championship for the county.

Nenagh Olympic AC’s Laura Frawley, secured a silver medal in the women’s shot put with a best throw of 11.90 metres. Clubmate Niamh Madden also impressed in the event, finishing fifth with 10.97 metres. Frawley  added another strong performance when placing fifth in the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.99 metres, while Madden finished seventh in the women’s discus with a throw of 36.92 metres.

Sean Mockler of Moycarkey-Coolcroo AC claimed the silver medal in the men’s hammer with an impressive throw of 60.57 metres. John Dwyer of Templemore AC finished sixth with 52.61 metres.

On the track, Moyne AC’s Katie Bergin produced an excellent performance in a high-quality women’s 100m competition. Having progressed through the earlier rounds, Bergin reached the national final where she finished fifth in 11.78 seconds against some of Ireland’s leading sprinters.

Nenagh Olympic athletes were prominent throughout the sprint events. In the men’s 200m, Pauric Hassett finished fourth in his heat in 22.54 seconds. David Forkan was fifth in his heat in 23.53, Andre Barros fifth in 23.87, Jack Hickey sixth in 23.56 and Ben Deegan seventh in 24.78.

The club also featured strongly in the men’s 100m. Gabriel Kehinde progressed to the final and finished tenth overall in a time of 10.65 seconds. Christopher Diasonama was sixth in his heat in 11.44, David Forkan seventh in 11.77, while Ronan Ryan clocked 11.10 seconds.

In the men’s 400m, Oliver Clarke of Moycarkey-Coolcroo AC ran well to finish third in his heat in 49.25 seconds, while Nenagh Olympic’s Paul White was fourth in his heat in 50.12.

The men’s 1500m heats saw Cian Hodgkins of Nenagh Olympic finish seventh in 3:59.08, while clubmate Luke Purcell crossed the line tenth in his heat in 4:01.66.

Ross Alexander of Coolquill AC delivered a strong performance in the men’s 10,000m walk, placing fourth overall in a time of 51:29.48.

Distance runners also enjoyed success in the men’s 5,000m races. In the C race, Tom Tracey of Thurles Crokes AC claimed victory in a time of 15:39, while Conor Keating of Moycarkey-Coolcroo AC finished ninth in 16:55. In the B race, James Tanner Nenagh Olympic  finished tenth in 15:18.13.

In the women’s triple jump, Emma O’Neill of Carrick-on-Suir AC placed eighth with a best effort of 10.89 metres.

The men’s long jump saw Ronan Ryan of Nenagh Olympic finish eighth with 6.55 metres, while clubmate Jack Hickey placed fourteenth with a jump of 6.02 metres.

Nenagh Olympic also enjoyed relay success, with their men’s 4x100m team securing bronze medals after finishing third in a time of 42.09 seconds.

In the women’s 400m, Orla Pamplin of Moyne AC finished fifth in her heat, recording a time of 59.73 seconds.

There was concern for Newport AC and Irish international Sharlene Mawdsley during the women’s 200m final when she was forced to pull up with a slight hamstring strain. With the European Championships just two weeks away, athletes and supporters across Tipperary will be hoping the injury proves minor and that Mawdsley can make a full recovery in time for Ireland’s upcoming international campaign. Despite her injury, she stayed behind to sign autographs for the many young fans attending, which is a great encouragement for the next generation.

Her clubmate Sophie Walker finished 5th in her heat, which was won by eventual champion Rhasidat Adaleke. A great experience to run in the same lane as an Olympian.

Overall, the championships provided plenty of encouragement for Tipperary athletics, with athletes from clubs across the county demonstrating both depth and quality on the national stage.

Yours In Sport

Gerry Donohoe

Senior Track PRO