Medals galore for Tipp athletes at Schools All-Ireland

By Thomas Conway

There were a myriad of championship records and eye-catching performances at the 123.ie All-Ireland Schools Track & Field Championships held in Tullamore at the weekend.

There was also no shortage of Tipperary involvement. Various emerging stars from second-level colleges across the north and south of the county produced blistering runs, throws and jumps to secure several medals for the Premier County. Some of them were competing for the last time and will plunge straight into exams this week. Others missed out on the podium but still delivered praiseworthy performances and gained experience that will almost certainly stand to them in the coming years.

Senior and Intermediate

Diarmuid Moloney of Nenagh CBS delivered a sensational performance in the Senior Boys 5000m. He secured a silver medal in a blistering time of 14:26.68 for a new PB. It also brought him within ten seconds of the legendary record set by John Treacy back in 1974.

Meanwhile, Ronan Ryan, also of Nenagh CBS produced a superb sprint double. Competing in the senior sprints, Ryan secured a brilliant bronze medal in the 100m, clocking a blistering time of 10.82 seconds. He backed up that performance in the 200m, storming around the bend to claim his second bronze medal of the day in a rapid 21.88 seconds.

Clodagh Donohoe of St Mary’s Secondary School Newport finished her schools’ athletics career with a bronze medal in the senior triple jump. This third-place finish secures her seventh career All-Ireland schools’ medal. It maintains her astonishing record of being on the podium at every school’s championship she entered in both triple jump and high jump.

Meanwhile, Emily Stapleton of Borrisokane Community College threw a superb 41.14 metres in the Senior Girls Hammer to take home the bronze her third time taking home a medal, while Marie Shanahan of Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré produced a powerful throw of 37.88 metres in the Senior Girls Discus to secure a magnificent second-place finish and the silver medal.

In the intermediate grade, Cara Ryan of Loreto Clonmel was the star of the pit, capturing the All-Ireland Intermediate Long Jump title with a massive leap of 5.80 metres. She backed up her gold-medal performance on the infield, showcasing her incredible versatility by claiming a superb silver medal in the Intermediate Shot Put with a powerful throw of 13.68 metres.

Jack Tierney of Borrisokane Community College proved unmatched in the Intermediate Hammer event. Tierney unleashed a spectacular throw of 55.90 metres to comfortably outdistance his rivals and secure a thoroughly deserved All-Ireland gold medal.

Áine Frawley, representing St Mary’s Charleville, produced her best form of the year to secure the silver medal in the Long Jump. Frawley soared to a magnificent season's best mark of 5.62 metres to seal second place on the national podium once again.

Junior and Minor

Yvandri Kruger of St. Mary's Secondary School Nenagh delivered a sensational performance in the Junior Girls Shot Putt to secure an All-Ireland silver medal. Kruger saved her best for the national stage, launching the shot over the 12-metre barrier for the very first time in her career to claim a magnificent second-place finish.

Alex Thompson of Our Lady’s Secondary School Templemore ensured the region's throwing success continued. Thompson produced an impressive series of throws to secure a brilliant third-place podium finish and the national bronze medal against a top-tier field of school athletes.

Finally, Cate O'Brien of Newport College added to Tipperary's impressive medal haul at with a brilliant performance in the Minor Girls 800m. O'Brien showed superb tactical awareness and determination to secure a national bronze medal. She crossed the finish line in an excellent time of 2:19.34 to seal her place on the All-Ireland podium.

There were also some notable performances from athletes who came within touching distance of a medal but just missed out by a slim margin. Amongst them was Borrisokane Community College’s Morgan Deasy, who was unfortunate not to secure a podium place in the Senior Boys Discus. He performed very well, finishing in fourth place with a throw of 42.51 metres.