Continuing her excellent form this season, Kelly Proper from Ferrybank AC had another big result on Saturday last in Sheffield when competing in the British AAA Senior Indoor Championships. She beat her own Irish indoor record in the long jump with a super leap of 6.44m, her old mark was 6.32m.
On Sunday in the semi-final of the 200m she won her heat in a PB time of 23.91secs. In the final, however, she had the misfortune to touch a lane line and was disqualified.
Niamh also wins, Billy unlucky
At the British U-20 Indoors in Birmingham, Ferrybank’s Niamh Whelan had an excellent weekend as she won the 200m in a time of 23.98 seconds, and also took the silver medal in the 60m final in 7.55 seconds.
Her clubmate Billy Ryan made it through to the final of the 400m but in the final had a similar problem to Kelly Proper as he too touched a lane line and was disqualified, despite winning the race in a PB.
Inter-Varsities
Christopher Russell, running with DCU, had a 60m and 200m double at the All-Ireland Inter-Varsity Indoor Championships in Nenagh and also in Nenagh, Gavin Downey, WIT, was second in the 1500m and Francesca Reville, WIT, was third in the 60m, while James Ledingham, UL, was second in the 800m.
Scottish Indoors
A large number of athletes from Ferrybank AC travelled to Glasgow on Saturday and Sunday last for the Scottish Underage Indoor Championships.
They had four wins: Ciara Giles-Doran, U-15 hurdles and 200m; Anne O’Shea, U-15 60m, and Shane Quinn, 1500m, U-20. Silver medals went to Thomas Barr, U-20 400m, Nicola Power, U-20 triple jump, Megan Kiely, U-17 300m, Ciara Giles-Doran, U-15 long jump and bronze medals were won by Megan Kiely, U-17 high jump and Cara Kennedy, U-17 shot putt, and Ann O’Shea U-15 long jump.
David breaks 4-minute mile
Last Saturday a little piece of athletic history was made when Waterford got it’s first ever sub-four minute miler. The honour fell to David McCarthy, a native of the Ballinamult area of the county, a member of West Waterford AC and currently at Providence College in the USA on an athletics scholarship where he is coached by Ray Treacy from Villierstown, a brother of the famous John Treacy.
Competing in the Boston University Valentines Day Indoor meeting, David won the mile in a fine time of 3 minutes 57.75 seconds beating his previous best set a week earlier by a massive four seconds. David now joins approximately forty other Irish athletes to go below four minutes.
The first of these was Ronnie Delany on 1st June 1956 who clocked 3 minutes 59 seconds. The present Irish record holder for the mile outdoors is Ray Flynn on 3 minutes 49.77 seconds set in 1982 and indoors by Eamon Coughlan on 3 minutes 49.78 set in 1983. The current world records for the mile are outdoors 3-43.13 and indoors 3-48.45, both held by El Guernouj from Morocco.
Munster Schools Cross-Country
Athletes from Waterford schools figured very prominently at the Munster Secondary Schools Cross-Country Championships at Tramore Racecourse last Thursday. There were two individual and four team wins by athletes from Waterford Schools and also many other top placings.
Niamh Ryan, Abbey Community College, Ferrybank, on her way to an emphatic victory in the Senior Girls race.
In the senior girls race Niamh Ryan, Abbey Community College, led from the start to finish to score a most emphatic win in the senior race and Waterford twin sisters Beth and Kitty Walsh, Ursuline Convent, finished second and third in the same event. The second winner was Shane Quinn, De La Salle, in the intermediate grade and he completely outclassed the opposition by a wide margin.
Other athletes to do well each with third placings were Liam Landy, Newtown School, minor and Conor Rochford, Abbey CC, senior. Fourth placings went to Kate Veale, St Augustines – intermediate; Declan Power, Dungarvan CBS – senior, and Robbie Mulligan – St Augustine’s, minor. Aoife O’Sullivan was fifth in the junior race and 6th placings went to Alex Flynn, Newtown School – senior, Lee Mulhearne St Augustines – minor, Bronagh Kearns, AbbeyCC – Junior.
