Categories: Athletics News, Featured, Photography

by owen

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Tipperary athletes produced a series of outstanding performances at the Irish Schools Track & Field Championships, bringing home an impressive collection of medals across all age grades and showcasing the county’s strength in both track and field events.

Senior Grade

The standout performance of the championships came from Diarmuid Moloney (Nenagh CBS/Nenagh Olympic AC), who delivered a sensational run in the Senior Boys 5000m. Moloney secured the silver medal in a blistering personal best time of 14:26.68, one of the fastest performances ever recorded at the championships. His remarkable run also brought him within ten seconds of the legendary championship record established by John Treacy in 1974.

Nenagh CBS and Nenagh Olympic AC athlete Ronan Ryan enjoyed a superb sprint double in the Senior Boys events. Ryan claimed a brilliant bronze medal in the 100m, clocking a rapid 10.82 seconds, before returning to secure a second bronze medal in the 200m with another outstanding performance, recording 21.88 seconds.

Clodagh Donohoe (St Mary’s Newport/Nenagh Olympic AC) brought her schools athletics career to a fitting conclusion by securing bronze in the Senior Girls Triple Jump. The podium finish marked her seventh career All-Ireland Schools medal and maintained an extraordinary record of finishing on the podium at every Schools Championship she contested in both the Triple Jump and High Jump.

Emily Stapleton (Borrisokane Community College) produced an excellent performance in the Senior Girls Hammer, throwing 41.14m to secure the bronze medal, the third Schools Championship medal of her career.

Marie Shanahan (Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré) added to Tipperary’s medal tally with a magnificent silver medal in the Senior Girls Discus, recording a best throw of 37.88m.

Intermediate Grade

Cara Ryan (Loreto Clonmel) was one of the stars of the field events, capturing the Intermediate Girls Long Jump title with a superb leap of 5.80m. Demonstrating her remarkable versatility, Ryan also claimed silver in the Intermediate Shot Put with a powerful throw of 13.68m, completing an outstanding championship double.

Jack Tierney (Borrisokane Community College) proved dominant in the Intermediate Boys Hammer. His impressive throw of 55.90m comfortably secured the All-Ireland title and a deserved gold medal.

Áine Frawley (Nenagh Olympic AC) produced her finest performance of the season in the Intermediate Girls Long Jump. Frawley recorded a season’s best leap of 5.62m to secure the silver medal and another national podium finish.
Ella Ryan Borrisokane CC (Nenagh Olympic AC) was in a fast-paced national 300m Hl final, she fought hard all the way down the home straight to secure a superb 6th-place finish in Ireland. Her top-six ranking caps off a highly successful schools campaign with north munster and munster medals taken home.
Sarah Bartley Carrick on Suir was Competing in a historic field where the standard was absolutely unprecedented, She shattered her previous benchmarks to record two separate jumps over the elusive 11-metre barrier. In almost any other year in schools athletics history, crossing the 11-metre line would have comfortably secured a position on the Podium. Sarah was incredibly unlucky to just miss out on the podium, finishing in a highly commendable fourth place. Her massive performance firmly cements her status as one of the elite young triple jumpers in the country.
Junior Grade

Yvandri Kruger (St Mary’s Nenagh/Nenagh Olympic AC) delivered a breakthrough performance in the Junior Girls Shot Put. Kruger surpassed the 12-metre mark for the first time in her career, producing a superb personal best to secure the All-Ireland silver medal.

Alex Thompson (Templemore),  produced a consistent series of throws to earn a brilliant bronze medal and a place on the national podium against strong opposition.
Matthew Mellerick St Marys Newport (Newport AC) produced a massive performance in the Junior Boys Long Jump, soaring out to a huge mark of 5.80 metres. In a star-studded field where the standard was incredibly high, Mellerick missed out on an All-Ireland podium place by the agonizingly small margin of just 2 centimeters.
He Showed exceptional form in the Junior Boys Triple Jump, where he dug deep to jump to a fantastic new personal best of 10.95 metres. In another display of how brutal sports can be, his record-breaking leap left him just 6 centimeters short of making the top-six final flight. Despite missing out, his ability to deliver on the national stage bodes incredibly well for his athletic future.
Minor Grade

Cate O’Brien (Newport College) added to Tipperary’s impressive medal haul with an excellent run in the Minor Girls 800m. Showing great tactical awareness and determination throughout, O’Brien secured the bronze medal in a time of 2:19.34, earning her place among the country’s leading young middle-distance athletes.

Across every age category. the performances highlighted the strength and depth of athletics throughout the county, with athletes excelling on both the track and in the field events and continuing Tipperary’s proud tradition of success at national schools level.

Gerry O’Donohoe

PRO Senior & Masters Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field