In an era when team sports have an iron grip on the sporting imagination of most of our young people,we also need to celebrate the dedication and spirit of the athletes who compete week in, week out for personal fulfillment and a love of the sport rather than the prospect of medals or international selection.These runners, their parents, coaches and club volunteers are the lifeblood of our sport.
Unlike the AAI structure which has an age group for every age between 13 and 19 only 3 categories
exist in Schools competitions which brings the best athletes from 3 AAI categories together.These are Junior – under 15, Intermediate – under 17 and Senior – under 20.
Munster Schools
CIT was again the venue for this years Munster Secondary Schools championship held on 31.05.2010.In the Senior Girls category Ailbhe Courtney of Presentation Tralee collected double gold in the 400m and 400m hurdles.The Pres had more medals as Sinead O’Connor easily won the Triple Jump and was second in the Long Jump while Katie Rodgers was 3rd in the 800m.Mary Fitzgerald of Coláiste na Sceilge was 2nd in the 1500m,Niamh Joy of Intermediate School Killorglin was 3rd in the 3000m.Karen Flynn of Presentation Milltown took silver in the Hammer.
In the Senior Boys Denis Hayes of Presentation Milltown won the hammer from his Farranfore Maine
Valley club mate Shane Hand, representing Pobal Scoil Chorca Dhuibhne, with just 30cm separating
them. Shane also picked up a bronze in the Discus while Eoin Ó Muircheartiagh of Chorca Dhuibhne
won the Walk.Cian Foley of Tralee CBS was 2nd in the 100m and 3rd in the 400m.Mercy Mount Hawk performed strongly in the Intermediate Boys section with Clarence Kennedy
winning the Triple Jump with 13.01 and narrowly missing out on a second gold when finishing second
in the 100m hurdles.Eoin O’Carroll won the Long Jump and finished second in the Triple Jump while
Philippe Barnett won the Javelin. P.J. Galvin came within 3cm of a gold medal in the High Jump and
Michael Godley finished second in the long jump.Jonathon Foley of Pres Milltown won the pole vault with a jump of 3.40m while Sean McCarthy of Currow, who’s on a rugby scholarship to Rockwell, won the shot putt.
All Ireland Schools
The All Ireland Schools Championships is the most prestigious track and field competition in the juvenile calendar. Without doubt Kerry’s top performer of the weekend was Eoin O’Carroll of Mercy Mount Hawk whoput in a series of stunning jumps to take gold in both the Intermediate boys Long Jump (6.63m) and Triple Jump(13.64).Mount Hawk athlete Clarence Kennedy was 3rd with 12.94m behind Eoin in the Triple Jump. In the intermediate boys High Jump PJ Galvin of Mount Hawk continued to build on his recent fine performances finishing 2nd in a very close competition with a jump of 1.80m. Jonathon Foley of Presentation Milltown was 3rd in the Inter Boys pole vault with 3.40m in only his second competition of the season after recovering from illness.Hannah O’ Sullivan of Boherbue Comprehensive performed brilliantly to retain her Junior Discus Title with a huge throw of 36.13metres which was almost 8 metres ahead of her nearest challenger.
Kerry’s only other gold medallist at this competition, showing their scarcity, was Emma Prenderville of PS Corcha Duibhne. Recently returned from the European Youth Trials in Moscow Emma showed no
sign of jet lag when taking the Senior girls 3000m walk title in 14.37.66. Mairead O’ Neill of Colaiste Treasa , competing for Gneevguilla was just denied the gold medal in the Inter Girls Hammer event after throwing a superb 42.16 metres.Presentation Tralee athletes Sinead O’Connor finished 2nd in the Triple Jump with 10.63m and Ailbhe Courtney picked up a double bronze in the 400m sprint and 400m hurdles. The Pres team then went on to pick up a bronze in the 4x100m relay.The Mounthawk intermediate boys squad also won best overall intermediate boys school.
Tailteann Games Interprovincial
The Tailteann Games Interprovincial Finals at Tullamore on the 28th June marked a return to Schools
competition for some athletes in the Intermediate age group after the recent Irish Schools Championships.The prize at stake was a place on the Irish Schools team for the Home Countries
International three weeks later in Scotland. Two athletes would be selected in each event.
Kerry has had a strong tradition of qualifying athletes to the International in the past with many of the
counties top athletes getting their first taste of international experience on this trip.
Without doubt Eoin O’Carroll was one of the first names to go down on the team sheet. While unable to repeat the double he pulled off at the Irish Schools Championships, he defended his long jump title with 6.60m and was narrowly overtaken in the triple jump jumping 13.06 metres.He was joined by fellow Mount Hawk Tralee students PJ Galvin who took the silver medal in the High Jump on 1.75m, just 5cm off the lead, and also Una Marley who’s 2.30m in the pole vault would have been good enough for 2nd but an off day produced a few misses which saw her placed 4th.This was taken into consideration however and when compared to her results at nationals and provincials saw her selected.Jonathon Foley of Presentation Milltown was joint first with 3.60m in The Pole Vault and was duly selected for the 2nd year in succession.Mairead O’Neill of Colaiste Treasa in Cork, competing for Gneeveguilla, easily won the girls hammer at 40.72m having more than 6 metres to spare over the 2nd placed athlete.Hannah O’Sullivan representing Boherbue Comprehensive School moved up two years to compete in The Discus event and won a brilliant silver medal with a throw of 33.06 metres. Louise Flynn was 4th in the hammer with 33.19 metres but is eligible to compete again next year.
International Schools, Scotland
The SIAB International at Scotsoun,Glasgow, was marred by gale winds on Saturday where six Kerry athletes made up the ranks of the Irish team for the annual quadrangular match between the schoolsassociations of the home countries. The Kerry Sextet was Eoin Carroll (Long and Triple Jump) Tralee Harriers ,PJ Galvin ( High Jump) St. Brendans and Una Marley (Pole vault) St. Brendans all representing Mercy Mount Hawk, Tralee, Jonathan Foley (Pole Vault), Presentation Milltown,Hannah O’ Sullivan (Discus) of Boherbue Comp and Mairead O’ Neill of Colaiste Treasa competing in The Hammer event are both members of Gneevguilla A.C.Though none of Kerry’s athletes bought home a medal they all ranked highly in a competition which isgenerally dominated by the much better funded English team. This was especially marked in that all Kerry’s athletes were competing in the highly technical jumps and throws events.
Eoin O’Carroll was one of the select few Irish athletes chosen to compete in two events at these
Championships, producing and excellent jump of 6.64m to place just outside the medals in fourth. He was slightly back from his best in the triple with 12.84m. His fourth in the long jump was equalled by Jonathon Foley whose 3.70m jump in The Pole Vault was a new Personal Best in poor conditions.Both of the above athletes are underage again next year..Mairead O’Neill had a solid throw in the girls hammer of 39.45m which placed her in 6th place, only slightly back on her recent throws and Hannah O’Sullivan also threw very well in the discus with 32.95m.PJ Galvin showed his consistency with a 1.75m in the High Jump.Una Marley produced a new PB of 2.50m jump in the pole vault, only 20cm off of a bronze but again the ability of coaching and training shone through with England’s top vaulter setting a new record of 3.71m.Overall a wonderful experience for all 6 athletes.
To finish off the schools season Eoghan Courtney was selected on the Irish Schools multi events team for the schools international in Glasgow on February 6th,
With a long off season ahead hopefully these leading lights of Kerry athletics will return next year with even greater performances!!
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