RTE Sports Website : – Olympians excel in Irish championships
– Three more Irish athletes to compete in Beijing
The National Track & Field Championships took place this weekend at Morton Stadium in Santry, Co Dublin, with a number of Beijing-bound athletes in competition.
Eileen O’Keeffe secured her eighth Irish title in the hammer, with a world class throw of 72.75m, some distance ahead of Rachel Akers in second (54.8m) and Aoife Hickey in third (50.39m).
O’Keeffe went on to record a double victory, winning the discus event with a throw of 46.44m.
Derval O’Rourke clocked a good time of 13.04 when winning the title in the 110m hurdles, while Olive Loughnane was impressive in winning the 5k walk in a new personal best time of 21:07.28 – six full seconds quicker than her previous PB.
Mary McLoone claimed the triple jump crown with her 11.71m leap, while Olympian Fionnualla Britton eased to victory in the steeplechase, with a brave front-running effort.
Kelly Proper continued her imperious form in the women’s 200m, comfortably winning in 23.69, with Claire Brady in second place in 24.05 and junior Niamh Whelan third in 24.06.
Rosemary Daniels wrapped up the high jump title with her 1.75m effort, ahead of Pamela Hughes (1.70m), while Grainne Moggan and Claire Wilkinson tied for third on 1.65m and Zoe Brown won the women’s pole vault with her 3.85m clearance.
In the men’s events, Ireland’s fastest man Paul Hession set a Championship record of 10.26 in the 100 metres in a facile win.
Robert Heffernan shattered his own national record for the 10k walk, which he set in 2002. Heffernan was a full 20 seconds faster than his previous best, coming home in a time of 32:27.57.
The men’s 10,000m race was won by Martin Fagan, also bound for Beijing, in a solid time of 29:16.53, while in breezy conditions, Darragh Graham won the 200m sprint in 21.38 from David Hynes and Derek Duff.
Rory Chesser led from start to finish in the steeplechase, holding off a strong challenge from Brian Farrell in the closing stages.
Sean Breathnach was always in front in the shot putt event with a best of 15.74m, well ahead of second placed junior Colin Quirke (14.06m), while Padraig White won the hammer with 56.69m.
Selected Results:
Women’s hammer: 1. Eileen O’Keeffe 72.75m; 2. Rachel Akers 54.80m; 3. Aoife Hickey 50.39m; 4. Katie O’Shea 45.77m; 5. Maggi Donnelly 44.46m; 6. Mary Sutherland 43.87m
Women’s 5k walk: 1. Olive Loughnane 21:07.28; 2. Laura Reynolds 25:14.90; 3. Donna Carolan 25:47.18; 4. Rachel Flynn 29:50.77; Georgina Tuohy DNF
Women’s 3,000m steeplechase: 1. Fionnualla Britton 9:51.93 2nd Stephanie O’Reilly 10:19.35; 3. Elizabeth Egan 11:38.50.
Women’s triple jump: 1. Mary McLoone 11.71m – 2. Mary Devlin 11.37m; 3. Hannah todd 11.24; 4.Linzi Herron 10.86m; 5. Jenny Reilly 10.77m
Women’s 200m: 1. Kelly Proper 23.69; 2. Claire Brady 24.05; 3. Niamh Whelan 24.06.
Women’s discus: 1. Eileen O’Keeffe 46.44; 2. Deirdre Murphy 39.42; 3. Sarah Bradfield 35.09m
Women’s high jump: 1. Rosemary Daniels 1.75m; 2. Pamela Hughes 1.70m; 3. Grainne Moggan and Claire Wilkinson (tied) 1.65m
Men’s 10k walk: 1. Robert Heffernan 32:27.57; 2. Jamie Costin 40:13.87; 3. David Kidd 44:17.72
Men’s 10,000m: 1. Martin Fagan 29:16.53; 2. Mark Kenneally 29:28.56; 3. Joe McAllister 30:22.21
Men’s 200m: 1. Darragh Graham 21.38; 2. David Hynes 21.47; 3. Derek Duff 21.53
Men’s shot putt: 1. Sean Breathnach 15.74m; 2. Colin Quirke 14.06m; 3. John Farrelly 12.48m
Men’s 3,000m steeplechase: 1. Rory Chesser 9:04.81; 2. Brian Farrell 9:04.88; 3. Mark Kirwan 9:12.04
Men’s hammer: Padraig White won the hammer with 56.69m. 2. Pavel Hazler 54.96m; 3.Gerard Kelly 49.12m
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Three more Irish athletes to compete in Beijing
Three further athletes have been added to the Irish Olympic team for next month’s Games in Beijing.
Marathon runner Pauline Curley, 400 metres hurdler Michelle Carey, and 800 metres specialist Thomas Chamney have all achieved the qualifying ‘B’ standard, and will join the Irish team when they travel to China next month.
In a statement, the Olympic Council of Ireland confirmed that they have ‘decided to accept’ the trio’s ‘B’ nominations from Athletics Ireland for places at the Olympics.
All three are first-time Olympians, with the 39-year-old Curley set to become the first Irish woman to run the Olympic marathon since Marie Rollins-Murphy and Ailish Smith did so in Seoul in 1988.
Curley, who hails from Tullamore in Offaly, got the ‘B’ standard for the Games when she ran a personal best of 2 hours, 39 minutes and five seconds in the Rotterdam marathon in April.
She has not competed at a major championships since she represented Ireland at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships in St-Etienne/St-Galmier.
Chamney won the 800m final at the Woodie’s DIY National Track & Field Championship in Santry yesterday, clocking 1 minute, 50.73 seconds as he beat defending champion David Campbell.
The Crusaders clubman, who is 24, was marginally outside the Olympic ‘A’ standard (1 minute, 46 seconds) when he ran 1:46.66 in Lignano last week for a season’s best.
He is our first Olympian at 800m since David Matthews competed in the event at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Carey, from the Dublin Striders club, retained her 400m hurdles title at the weekend’s Nationals in a time of 58.16 seconds.
The 27-year-old part-time teacher ran a personal best of 56.19 seconds at a meet in Walnut, California in April, which saw her dip under the Olympic ‘B’ standard of 56.50.
Ireland’s last female 400m hurdler to qualify for the Olympics was Susan Smith-Walsh back in 2000.
Patsy McGonagle, Ireland’s athletics team manager for the Beijing Games, said: ‘The selectors decided to nominate ‘B’ standard athletes for Beijing but it was then up to the Olympic Council to select them.
‘I am delighted with their decision. I must say I have to compliment the OCI on moving so quickly.’
The trio’s selection brings the Irish athletics contingent bound for China to 16, with hammer thrower Eileen O’Keeffe the leading medal hope.
