Mawdsley turns focus Outdoors after National Indoor success

Bronze medals for Nenagh’s Madden and Relay team

By Thomas Conway

The very fact that day two of the National Indoor Athletics Championships was broadcast live on Virgin Media on Sunday was emblematic of the soaring levels of interest in track & field nationwide.

A host of stars featured over the course of a frenetic two days in Blanchardstown. Alongside the dazzling Kate O’Connor, who soared to gold in the Long Jump, Sharlene Mawdsley was, of course, the star attraction.

If the Newport athlete was feeling any pressure at being the headline act, she didn’t show it. Coolly and professionally, she powered to her third successive national indoor 400 metre title, clocking an impressive sub-52 second time in the process (51.89). Mawdsley would always have been expected to emerge as the podium-topper but a national title is a national title and it is always significant.

As it happened, we probably learned more from the 27-year-old's post-race interview with Greg Allen of RTÉ Sport than we did from the race itself. Despite evidently being in form, Mawdsley indicated she would not be competing in the World Indoor Championship in Poland later this month.

Between injuries and disqualifications, her past participation in the event has been plagued by ill-luck, and that, she said, was one of the reasons she had decided to forego it this season. Mawdsley said she was thinking of “the bigger picture,” and set a goal of making the final of the 400 metres in the European Championships in Birmingham later in the summer.

"We have to put in a good foundation, so for me to be at my best, I want to be in that final in Birmingham. I want to be walking away with medals with the girls in the mixed relay and I'll be disappointed if we don't,” she said.

From a broader Tipperary perspective, there were a multitude of athletes to cheer over the course of the weekend.

Mawdsley’s fellow Newport AC member Sophie Walker recorded a sub-60 second time in the 400m, as did Emer Brennan of Clonmel AC. Meanwhile, Anna Ryan of Moycarkey/Coolcroo AC secured a podium finish in the Women's Triple Jump with a best effort of 11.49m.

The 200m featured a heavy Tipperary presence. Ronan Ryan (Nenagh Olympic) placed fifth in a highly competitive men’s final, while clubmates Padraic Hassett & Jack Hickey recorded good runs in the heats. Joe Burke (Templemore AC) competed strongly in his 200m heat and was unlucky not to progress after winning in 21.91 seconds.

David Ryan (Moycarkey/Coolcroo AC) produced a standout 400m run to win his heat and automatically progress to the semi-finals. He competed in a highly competitive semi-final on Saturday evening, finishing just outside the qualifying spots

Paul White (Nenagh Olympic AC) - a former U23 National champion - competed in the 400m heats and continued his consistent presence at the national senior level. Jack Ryan (Templemore AC) produced a solid run, clocking 53.07 in the 400m and gaining valuable championship experience.

In the 1500m, Cathal Kennedy (Thurles Crokes) recorded an impressive 4.07 while Cian Hodgins of Nenagh Olympic delivered a solid run to finish in 4:09 and will consider himself unlucky not to have progressed from a tactical race. Jennifer O'Leary and Aoife Delargy both looked comfortable in qualifying for the women's 1500m final.

The Nenagh Olympic 4x200m team of Padraic Hassett, David Forkan, Ronan Ryan and Jack Hickey secured a bronze medal, finishing in third place with 1:30.85.

Niamh Madden (Nenagh Olympic) had a standout result in the Shot Putt final. She surpassed the 12 metre mark to claim a superb bronze medal, marking her first-ever National Senior podium finish. Niamh is still a junior athlete and has an exceptionally bright future.

Emma O'Neill (Carrick-on-Suir AC) took to the long jump runway in an event that was stacked with talent. Emma jumped out to 5.29m to finish a very creditable sixth, in an event which witnessed the top three athletes jump over six metres. Naturally, the amazing Kate O'Connor set a new PB with a world class 6.50m jump. It was, most observers agreed, probably the highlight of the championships.

In the 60m, Alana Ryan (Nenagh Olympic) progressed through the heats and a tough semi-final to earn a place in the final where she finished in seventh place with a time 7.55 secs. 200m specialist Katie Bergin (Moyne AC) narrowly missed out on a place in the final by a heartbreaking 0.03 seconds after a strong performance in the same semi-final.

In the men's 60m, Ronan Ryan (Nenagh Olympic) and Padraic Flanagan (Boherlahan Dualla AC) both gained elite experience against the fastest men in the country.

The Men’s 3000m events were split across graded finals. James Tanner (Nenagh Olympic) produced a stellar performance in the second heat, clocking a fast 8:34. Jamie Moloney (Nenagh Olympic) broke the 9-minute barrier with a determined 8:59. Meanwhile Diarmuid Moloney (Nenagh Olympic) finished just shy of the 9-minute mark in a competitive field. Thurles Crokes AC duo Tom Tracey and Tom McCarthy both produced strong, gritty performances in the graded 3000m events.

In the Women’s 1500m, Jennifer O’Leary and Aoife Delargy (both Nenagh Olympic) featured in a highly tactical final.

Ross Alexander (Coolquill AC) competed in the Men's 5k Walk, recording a time of 24:56. Finally, Niamh Clarke (Clonmel AC) delivered a consistent performance in the Women's 3k Walk to finish 11th overall in a time of 16:22.