from Jeremy Lyons The domestic track season kicked off at the weekend with the annual Leevale Open Sports in Cork. Kelly Proper was the star attraction and in her first competition since finishing 7th in the European Indoors in Turin, the Ferrybank start scored a comfortable treble. She opened with a solid 11.93 to win the 100m and was chased home here by rising star Joan Healy of Bandon who herself is making a name in sprinting circles and even at this stage is a potential medallist at the European Youth Olympics in the Summer. Her favoured event the long jump was the next win and her 6.10m winning effort was added to at the end of the program by clocking 24.32 in the 200m. A 3rd place in the shot putt of 10.18m and 2nd in the High Jump with 1.60m finished off a very busy day for Kelly.
While not firing on all cylinders Proper would still have racked up 3,107 pts if she was partaking in a Heptathlon which is well on its way to taking the Irish Record in that event if she chose to go for it. Maybe Jerry Kiernan could be right for once even if David Gillick isn’t and never will be an 800m runner!
Also performing well was pocket-rocket Chris Russell who doubled in the 100m and 200m with 10.78 and 21.95 while Clonliffe’s John Laffey won the 400m in 48.09.
The coolest man on show, while racing at least, was local Leevale boy Edmond O’ Halloran who got the standard for the World Youth Championships with a blistering run in the 110m hurdles of 14.28 that belied his years. Watched by his granny from the sidelines he was visibly shaken with excitement and disbelief afterwards that he had run so fast.
Last night (Wednesday) saw the first instalment of the Dublin Graded Meets. Despite breezy conditions there were good performances in both 800m races. Tallaght’s Anthony Leghio who is coached by Eamonn Coghlan won the men’s in 1:54.44 while Kilkenny schoolgirl Ciara Everard won the women’s in a gun to tape performance winning in 2:11.07.
Interestingly long jumping legend Ciaran McDonagh made a cameo appearance in the men’s 100m and finished 2nd in 11.58. Could a comeback be on the cards for the Fr Murphy’s man?
Next on the domestic menu is the Irish University Championships which take place in Limerick on Friday and Saturday with DCU hotly fancied to steamroll the opposition in the quest for both team titles but hosts UL will hope to put a stiff challenge up to the hot favourites.