2011 has seen an amazing development of the hammer event in Ireland with several schools records and both Male and Female junior Irish records being smashed. The ‘homecoming’ of Conor McCullough (World Junior Hammer Champion 2010) to compete in both the ‘Woodies DIY’ National Track & Field League on July 17th and the ‘Woodies DIY’ Irish National Championships on 6-7th August coincides with the departure of an amazing number of four of our junior hammer throwers who head off to Tallinn, Estonia for the European Junior Championships.
Killian Barry has led the way for the guys with a superb throw of 68.38m to win the National Junior Championships where six throwers threw in excess of 60m. He will be joined in Tallinn by Dempsey McGuigan who has reached 66.89m so far this season and Andrew Doyle with 66.25m. Behind these three, Michael James Hall, Thomas Furlong, James McCabe and Conal Campion have been keeping severe pressure on the leaders and are all unlucky not to have qualified for the Euro Juniors as well.
The girls have been led this year by Cara Kennedy who smashed her own Junior record (56.64m) with a throw of 57.98m at the National Junior Championships and then again with 58.26m at the Munster Championships on July 3rd. Cara has progressed very solidly this year and is now becoming a very consistent competitor. 60 metres will be very much in her target zone before the season finishes. Cara’s progress has given a boost to women’s hammer at just the right time. It comes just after the news of Eileen O’Keeffe’s retirement due to injury. Cara won’t have it all her own way over the next few years either when Aoife Hickey returns from a disappointing injury which has ruled her out of competition this summer. Also waiting in the wings are Rachel Akers who is returning to form this year and Alice Akers (Rachel’s younger sister) who has been demolishing the school’s record books. Gabby McNally from Abbey AC is also progressing very well and looks like breaking through the 55m barrier very soon. All in all Irish Hammer throwing is looking extremely healthy for the next few years.