The Newport AC athletes’ competing for Tipperary (l-r) : Luke Ryan, Sophie Walker, Nina Donnellan, Leah Barry, Fionn Griffin

Tipperary Women Secure National Final Qualification in Style

Tipperary’s senior women’s team delivered an outstanding performance at the National Senior Track & Field League Preliminary Round in Tullamore last weekend, finishing in an impressive second place overall and comfortably securing qualification for the National Final.

Leading the charge for the Blue and Gold were a number of athletes who recorded maximum points with superb first-place performances. Multi-talented Nenagh Olympic athlete Laura Frawley was in exceptional form, claiming victory in the 100m Hurdles, Long Jump and Weight for Distance to contribute a crucial 24 points to the county tally. Emily Stapleton (Borrisokane AC) also secured maximum points in the 4kg Hammer, producing a new personal best performance to win her event, while Niamh Madden (Nenagh Olympic AC) dominated the Shot Putt to add another valuable eight points.

                        

Tipperary’s strength in depth was evident throughout the programme with several athletes securing second-place finishes and six points each. Hannah Larkin (Nenagh Olympic AC) impressed in the 400m Hurdles, while Niamh Madden added to her points haul with a runner-up finish in the Discus. Ludmilla Podzimkova (Clonmel AC) produced a strong run to finish second in the 2000m Steeplechase, while Sophie Walker (Newport AC) sprinted to second place in the 100m. The county’s 4 x 400m relay quartet of Sophie Walker, Hannah Larkin, Leah Berry and Emma Delaney combined brilliantly to also secure second place and another six valuable points.

 

Third-place finishes and five points apiece came from Clodagh Donohoe (Nenagh Olympic AC), who excelled in both the High Jump and Triple Jump, while Emma Delaney (Moyne AC) produced one of the performances of the day in the 400m, breaking the 60-second barrier for the first time with an excellent new personal best; 59.60s.

        

 

Niamh Clarke (Clonmel AC) also contributed strongly with a third-place finish in the 1500m Walk. Further valuable points were secured by Leah Berry (Newport AC) with a determined fourth-place finish in the 200m, while Nina Donnellan added to the county total with sixth place in the 800m.

Collectively, these performances earned Tipperary an excellent total of 100 points, securing second place overall and ensuring the county’s women will compete in the National Final later this season.

Tipperary Men Finish Seventh at National League Preliminary Round

The Tipperary senior men’s team produced a determined display at the National Athletics League Preliminary Round in Tullamore last weekend, finishing seventh overall against strong opposition from across the country.

Several athletes delivered outstanding performances and personal bests throughout the day, contributing valuable points for the county team.

Dylan Jones (Templemore AC) was among the standout performers, claiming second place in the Long Jump with an excellent personal best leap of 6.06m to secure seven valuable points. Fellow Templemore athlete Cathal Ryan also impressed, clearing 1.65m to finish second in the High Jump and add another seven points to the county tally.

Conor Flaherty (Clonmel AC) continued his excellent season with a strong second-place finish in the 1500m, crossing the line in 4:11 to secure seven points, while Bobby Gleeson (Templemore AC) also contributed seven points with a runner-up finish in the Hammer competition.

Third-place finishes and six points each came from a number of athletes. Michael Ryan (Dundrum AC) ran a strong race in the 110m Hurdles to take third place, while John Laste (Fethard AC) produced an impressive performance in the 1500m Race Walk, clocking 8:41 for third place. Thomas McCarthy (Thurles Crokes AC) also secured six points with a determined run in the 800m, finishing third in a time of 2:04.

Sebastian Stockil (Clonmel AC) enjoyed one of the performances of the day in the Javelin, producing a personal best throw of 31.55m to finish fourth and collect five valuable points. The county’s 4 x 400m relay team of Luke Ryan (Newport AC), Thomas McCarthy, Fionn Griffin and Padraic Flanagan battled strongly to finish fourth and add a further five points.

Cormac Healion (Templemore AC) competed admirably in two of the most competitive events on the programme, placing sixth in the 200m and seventh in the 100m to contribute a combined five points to the county total.

Additional points were secured by Henry Michael (Clonmel AC) in both the Shot Putt and Discus competitions, while the 4 x 100m relay quartet of Dylan Jones, Padraic Flanagan (DBB AC), Fionn Griffin (Newport AC) and Cormac Healion finished sixth to add three points.

While the team narrowly missed out on qualification for the National Final, there were many encouraging performances across the track and field disciplines, including several personal bests and a number of podium finishes. The athletes represented Tipperary with distinction throughout the competition and demonstrated the strength and depth of athletics talent within the county.

Nenagh Olympic Men Book Place in National League Final

Nenagh Olympic AC’s senior men’s team produced a determined and well-balanced performance at the National Athletics League Preliminary Round in Tullamore last weekend, comfortably securing qualification for the National League Final with a series of excellent performances across the track and field events.

Leading the way for the North Tipperary club were the 4x100m relay quartet of Ronan Ryan, Gabe Kehinde, Chris Dionsama and Alex Ryan, who combined superbly to claim maximum points with a commanding victory. Also securing a valuable first-place finish was Pauric Hassett in the Weight for Distance, ensuring the club collected the maximum return from both events.

Strong third-place performances yielded 14 points each for several Nenagh athletes. Aaron Malik cleared his way to an excellent runner-up finish in the Pole Vault, while James Tanner impressed in the 3000m Steeplechase. Sprint star Gabe Kehinde continued his fine form with a second-place finish in the 100m, adding significantly to the club’s overall tally.

A further trio of athletes secured 13 points through fourth-place finishes. Ronan Ryan delivered strongly in the 110m Hurdles, Jack Hickey performed consistently in the Long Jump, while Darragh Miniter added valuable points in the Discus.

The club’s depth was further demonstrated through a number of fifth-place finishes, each contributing 12 points to the team score. Darragh Miniter doubled up with a strong performance in the Shot Putt, Ben Deegan secured important points in the 1500m Walk, while Ronan Ryan added to his impressive day’s work with a fifth-place finish in the 200m.

Eleven points were secured by Brian Naughton in the Hammer, Paul White in the 400m, and Aaron Malik, who contributed further with a solid performance in the Triple Jump.

Distance specialist James Tanner continued to add to the Nenagh total by securing 10 points in both the 1500m as did Kevin Finn in the  5000m, demonstrating remarkable versatility and endurance across the middle and long-distance events. Additional points came from Shamack in the High Jump and Alex Ryan in the Javelin, rounding off a successful day for the club.

Next day in Tullamore was the All Ireland Juveniles U12 Championships and what a great day was had by Moyne AC at the All Ireland U12 Championships in Tullamore last weekend. The relay team of Aoibheann Doyle, Grace Cantwell, Annabelle Butler, Poppy Shanahan alongside Saoirse Dunphy and Daisy Lyons put in a super race in their heat to finish 1st in a time of 55.68. These championships run off times with no overall final, so the girls had a nervous wait watching the last heat to ensure their time was good enough for the gold. Thankfully, the girls claimed the top of the podium and should be immensely proud of this achievement. Well done to all the coaches and family members involved. This is the cumulation of a year of hard work by all and we are so grateful to all the support given to the girls. A wonderful result.

(l-r): U12 Gold – Poppy Lyons, Grace Cantwell, Anabelle Butler, Aoibhean Doyle

 Clonmel AC had a fantastic day at the National 5 Mile Road Championships in Dublin, where the ladies took the initiative to get a team together for this national event—and their efforts certainly paid off. Their quartet of Amanda Moroney, Elaine Morrissey, Sarah Whelan & Sareen Walsh packed superbly to take the team O35 gold, with Amanda, returning from a recent injury, also earning a National O40 silver medal.

O35 5 mile team gold l-r: Sarah Whelan, Sareen Walsh, Elaine Morrissey, Amanda Moroney