Special report to irishrunner.com by Terry Hopper
The TNT Irish Senior Track and Field Championships on a sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon at Morton Stadium in Santry, Dublin.
Olive Loughnane (Loughrea A.C.)had the honour of becoming the first TNT national champion when she walked away with the women's 5k walk. She won by well over a lap in a personal best of 22.58.27.
The first men's champion was Pierce O'Callaghan (Dublin City Harriers) who won the 10,000 metre walk in a championship meet and personal best time of 41:47.50 edging Togher A.C. rival Robert Heffernan 1.16 seconds. O'Callaghan broke his own meet record from last year by 58 seconds.
Ciaran McDonagh (Father Murphy's A.C.) attracted a fair proportion of the meagre crowd over to the long jump pit, and we weren't disappointed. In round one he took the championship best performance (CBP) with a leap of 7.75m. When next he lined up he had the scent of records in his nostrils. Next, he went over the eight meter mark twice in the long jump only to have both performances negated by winds over the legal 2.0 meter per second limit. McDonagh broke his own Irish National record in the long jump by leaping 7.88 at the Riga '99 athletics meeting in Latvia on 11 July. But hard luck is nothing new to the Wexford long jumper as he missed the Atlanta Olympic by a mere three centimetres. He has a new Irish record and meet record in hand but is knocking on the door to the World Championships. This young man will undoubtedly drag Irish long jumping into the 21st century.
The first surprise of the championships was the no-show of defending champ Tom McGuirk in the 400m hurdles. The DCH hurdler was one of nine Irish athletes with an "A" standard for the upcoming World Championships. The California-based McGuirk got his qualifier when he ran 49.90 in Helsinki on 10 June. The race looks to be a straight battle between Brian Liddy and David Keoghan and that's exactly what it turned out to be. Brian Liddy (Crusaders) fought off a tenacious David Keoghan (Dublin City Harriers) to win in 51.19 to 51.33.
Nicola Coffey (Navan A.C.) won the women's hammer with a meet record toss of 55.79. Coffey, from Ardbraccan beat Irish record holder Olivia Kelleher (Farranfore Maine Valley A.C.). After fouling on her first three attempts, Kelleher used her sixth throw (50.37) to go from fourth to second. In a relatively new international event, these two young throwers will be battling for years to come.
On Saturday Gary Ryan easily won his 200m heat (22.38) , but appeared to limp as he crossed the line. Later it turned out he had cramp. The Nenagh Olympic star recovered enough to return for the final less than two hours later. A scintillating bend by Ryan saw him enter the straight 3 metres up on Paul Brizzell (Ballymena & Antrim), but the Ulster man dug deep and narrowed the deficit all the way to the line. Ryan's cramp returned in the last 20 metres and he later said the cramp forced him to dive over the line, effectively winning the race. Both men were given the same time, 21.21. It was Ryan's fourth straight title.
In the men's 100m heats Paul Brizzell set a PB of 10.54 winning his heat, while Gary Ryan, Dave Power and Donal McCarthy all looked impressive. In the final, nearly 3½ hours later all ten finalists went under 11 seconds as Ryan, showing no signs of Saturday's cramp, took gold by a clear metre from Brizzell and McCarthy in a new national record of 10.45 (+1.5).
In the 3000 metre steeplechase Cormac Smith (Dundrum South Dublin) made known his intention early by taking the lead from the gun. He took 1997 champ Pat Davoren (Brighton & Hove A.C.) with him until about the halfway mark. He pulled away slowly but steadily to the end, winning in 8:50.35. Davoren battled to the finish in 8:55.95 and Kieran Stack (North Cork A.C.) took a hard earned bronze in 9:08.71. Stack, a Corkman from Doneraile who has lived in America since he ran for Mick Byrne at Iona College should be commended as he'll be turning thirty-six soon and holds down a full-time principal's job in a secondary school in New York.
One of the highlights of Day 1 came, surprisingly, in the men's 800m heats. UCD's James Nolan, running in heat two, "took it out hard", and came home in an astonishing 1:46.68, taking almost a second off the CBP. Dave Matthews and Gareth Turnbull were easy winners of their heats. The final promised to be the race of the championships with the pair of UCD mates battling for two lap supremacy. The UCD duel would not materialise. After he was advised not to run Sunday's final by BLÉ doctor Brendan O'Brien. Nolan said to the interested press, "I went out to test the hamstring because there was no pressure in the heats. I honestly did not think I was going that fast. When I went for it in the last 50 metres, I just felt a slight twinge."
Without Nolan the obvious pre-race pick was now five-time champ David Matthews. As in most championship finals where the title not the time is the ambition, the pack paraded through a very modest first lap (55.7). Gareth Turnbull (St. Malachy's A.C.) charged into the lead and caught favourite Matthews cold. Matthews closed ominously around the last bend but Turnbull still had enough left to pull away in the home straight for a clear win in personal best 1:48.57. His last lap was 52.9. This augurs well for his 1500m running. Turnbull, only 20 is known more for his success in cross country running. He told Peter Byrne of the Irish Times after the race, "I like to think that this win proved that I'm not just a cross country runner - that I do have a bit of speed in my legs. After a slow opening quarter, I realised that my best chance was to go early and, thankfully, it worked for me."
The men's 10,000 metre race saw Noel Berkeley (Dundrum South Dublin) win his sixth title in seven years but did he have to work for it. The early pace was made by Clonliffe's Noel Cullen and a four man group developed with Cullen, Peter Matthews (DSD), Berkeley and Gerry Ryan (Tuam A.C.) pulling well clear. About halfway, Matthews took over the lead and drew Berkeley clear of Cullen, who was now isolated in third. The end seemed a foregone conclusion, but Matthews refused to give in. Berkeley made his effort down the back straight on the last lap, but Matthews resisted sternly until the home straight, when one final push by Berkeley took him clear.
Ciara Sheehy's third 200m title in a row (she's still a junior!) was made easy by the withdrawal because of feeling ill of Emily Maher from the final. The irony of the situation was that there were only nine entries, so heats were held to eliminate one athlete! Sheehy (West Dublin A.C.) ran 24.40 in the final comfortably ahead of second place Clare O'Connor (Lisburn A.C.) who clocked 25.21.
The day started out with an exciting men's hammer competition. Roman Linscheid (threw 71.86m in round 1, and held the lead until the penultimate throw of the competition when Paddy McGrath tossed the 16lb ball and chain out to 72.01m for victory. These two peppered the 70m line, but the competition was marred by a lot of fouls.
Mark Carroll needed only to win the five kilometre race to be selected for the World Championships. Having just recovered from a bout of anemia the Leevale star set out to win an unusual and difficult double at 1500m and 5000m. He cantered to an easy victory in the 'five' at 2:20 p.m., winning by 100m from 10k champ Noel Berkeley. Berkeley (DSD) outsprinted Clonliffe's Paolo Doglio in the home straight for the silver. Carroll's winning time was a disappointing 14:07.90 which is more than a minute slower than the Irish record 13:03.93 he set last summer. He wasn't unhappy though with the 1500 to come.
A mouthwatering clash in the men's 1500 seems in prospect as Mark Carroll, Niall Bruton, Ken Nason, Andrew Walker and the St. Malachy's duo Colm McLean and Conor Sweeney all came through the heats comfortably. Most these runners met two weeks ago in the Morton Mile. Brian Treacy (Annadale Striders A.C.) is one of the hottest competitors in the race having just run a personal best in the 1,500 metres of 3:38.74 in Casablanca on 13 July.
In the 1,500 metre final the early pace played into Carroll's hands: 63.45 at 400m and 2:07.66 at 800m. A large group comprising, in order, Nason, Bruton, Treacy, Carroll, Caulfield, McLean and Sweeney reached the bell together. Nason dug deep and the third 400 was 57.9. Down the back straight Treacy made his move, slipping through on the inside as Bruton and Carroll responded on the outside. At 200 Carroll made a big move, but Bruton responded magnificently and went into overdrive. Into the straight and Bruton looked to have it won but Carroll dredged up something else to close on Bruton's inside. Bruton responded yet again with 50 to go and held a narrow lead in an eyeballs-out dash for the line. He looked to have held on but Carroll stole it right on the line for a fantastic double. The photo read 3:46.20 for Carroll and 3:46.21 for Bruton.
John Dermody (DSD) retained his shot putt title and in some style. He set a CBP of 18.61m, easily beating national record holder, Crudsaders Paul Quirke.
Emily Maher (Kilkenny City Harriers), sufficiently recovered from the illness that saw her withdraw from the 200m final, took the women's 100m gold in a personal best of 11.75 (wind +1.9) from Clare O'Connor (Wycombe Phoenix Harriers) who ran 12.04.
Jacqui Stokes (Ferrybank A.C.) took her sixth straight long jump title and a new meet record, jumping 6.06m. Stokes also took fourth in the 100m (12.25).
In the men's 100m heats Paul Brizzell ( set a personal record of 10.54 winning his heat,while Gary Ryan, Dave Power (DCH) and Leevale's Donal McCarthy all looked impressive. In the final, nearly 3½ hours later all ten finalists went under 11 seconds as Ryan, showing no signs of Saturday's cramp, took gold by a clear metre from Brizzell and McCarthy in a new national record of 10.45 (wind +1.5). The old record was 10.46 by Neil Ryan set in Riga, Latvia in 1997.
In the men's high jump Brendan Reilly (Belgrave Harriers) claimed his second senior title, seven years after he won his first. The competition was won when he cleared 2.20 but he was looking to match the 'B' standard of 2.25. He cleared that on his second attempt to equal the Mark Mandy's National record set in 1995. But he wasn't finished yet and put the bar up to 2.28m, the 'A' standard, which he cleared at the first attempt cleanly. He then had three good attempts at 2.30m and it won't be long before he gets it.
Reilly competed with BLOE before opting to compete for Britain. He recently switched his allegiance to Ireland. Ironically, his jump of 2.28m equaled that of Steve Smith's winning leap at the British championships. Not letting the coincidence go unaddressed and answering rumours he was taking the easier path to the World Championships, Reilly told the Irish Times, I hope this puts that myth to rest. I declared for Ireland because my mother, who is from Portlaoise, wants to see me compete in a major championship in a green singlet."
Susan Smith Walsh (Waterford A.C.) had a classy hurdles double. First in her specialty the 400m hurdles, she crossed the line while runner-up Michelle Carey (West Dublin A.C.) was crossing the last barrier! The Waterford star's time was 55.54 and was a meet record. In the 100m hurdles she was pressed all the way by Leevale's Derval O'Rourke and won in 13.49 (wind +0.6). O'Rourke got a European junior qualifying time with 13.92, just missing the national junior record by .02.
Peter Coghlan (Crusaders) set a championship record winning the 110m hurdles by a whole flight in an excellent 13.51 (wind +1.4). Paul Conroy (DCH) took silver and Brendan Bourke Limerick A.C.) took the bronze. With a silver in the long jump and a finalist over 100m it seems in Bourke we have the makings of a top class decathlete.
The women's pole vault saw an inaugural National record set by Bridget Pearson at 3.20m. Apparently records are not officially recognised until they meet a certain minimum standard (3m in the women's pole vault). Pearson only entered the competition at 3m! Second place went to Shirley Austin (Borrisokane A.C.) who cleared 2.70m.
Ciara Sheehy opted for the 400m but with 9 entries was forced to run a heat. She cruised to an easy final place but had to withdraw from the final through injury. Karen Shinkins (DCH) duly won her third straight crown. She appeared to start somewhat conservatively but her leg muscles seem unacquainted with the niceties of lactic acid! She just doesn't seem to slow at all in the home straight. The breezy conditions cost her a meet record but she won convincingly from Fiona Norwood (KCH) who ran 56.87. Shinkins set an Irish record in the 400 running 51.07 at the World University Games held in Mallorca, Spain from 8-13 July.
Paul McBurney (Lisburn A.C.) won the men's 400 metres in 47.09 from Paul Opperman, 47.60 (DSD) and Eugene Farrell, 47.81 (DCH). Two time champion, Brian Forbes (Mid Ulster A.C.), could only finish fifth in 48.33.
The women's 1,500m was a battle for a place on the Irish team for the World Championships. Elaine Fitzgerald (Waterford A.C.) made much of the 1500m pace with Niamh Beirne (Lucan Harriers) before a ferocious charge over the last 200 metres saw Fitzgerald secure gold and a trip to Seville from Sinéad Delahunty (KCH) in second and Beirne in third. The trio was timed in 4:16.99, 4:17.48 and 4:19.20 respectively.
The women's 800m was won impressively gun-to-tape by Maura Prendiville (UCC A.C.) in 2:05.69 from Deirdre Fleming (DCH) and Geraldine Nolan (KCH). It was a personal best for Prendiville.
Una English (DCH) looked every inch the miler as she stretched away from pacesetter Valerie Vaughan (Blarney/Inniscara A.C.) to win the 5000m in 16:00.65. Olympian Marie McMahon (Marian A.C.) looked lethargic early on and eventually stepped off the track after 8 laps.
Streaks at the championships included Terry McHugh (DCH) taking his sixteenth straight title in the men's javelin with a throw of 74.24. Siobhan Hoey (DCH) earned her seventh consecutive gold in women's triple jump skipping 12.29m (wind +1.9). Emma Gavin (Limerick A.C.) got her fifth straight win in the women's shot putt with a 13.45 toss of 13.45m. Bridget Corrigan (DCH) took a record sixth title in the high jump (1.76m), some twenty years after the first win. Michael McDonald (Ballymena & Antrim) took his ninth triple jump title (14.94m). Nicky Sweeney (DSD) threw for his ninth in the discus (59.56m).
For full results of the 1999 TNT/BLÉ National Track and Field Championships go to the BLÉ results Page