Munster Express Online

The final stage of the AAI All Ireland Juvenile T&F championships saw Tara Lacey take gold in the U/14 2000m walk. All the hard training in the Sports Complex paid off handsomely as she stormed down the finishing straight to overtake Karen Bourke of St Cocas in the final 30m to take top honours in a time of 11.24.28. The club has a long history of top walkers and its great to see the tradition being kept up by the current crop of juveniles.

Gemma Aylward put up a spirited performance in the U/16 3000m event, lapping steadily to place 7th overall in a time of 12.03.40. In the U/17 event twins Orla and Aoife Butler chased hard and put in a solid performance with Orla placing 6th and Aoife 9th. Current walks coach Perri Williams was well pleased with her charges and we look forward to many more successes in the coming years. In the boys U/15 1500m, Hugh Morgan paced himself well over the slow first two laps. When the pace picked up with 600m to go he moved up to 4th but despite a storming last 200m, just failed to catch bronze medal winner by less than half a second. Our final competitor was Conor Rochford in the U/19 1500m, but Conor who has had a terrific year finished outside the medals on this occasion. All our athletes will now take a well earned break before cross country training starts in mid August.