Congratulations to all our older Juveniles who competed in very challenging conditions this weekend at the National Juvenile Championships in Tullamore.
The weather took its toll on athletes , coaches, parents and officials as rain coats, changes of clothes, mucky spikes and umbrellas were the order of the weekend as the rain just never let up.
SATURDAY
MSB had strong representation over the full weekend kicking off on Saturday morning with Aoife Brown who gave a tremendous run in the girls U19 400m straight final. Aoife did herself proud coming in with a wonderful 4t
h place in an excellent time of 59.04. Well done Aoife and coach Charlie Martin!
It was over to race walking next where our U14 athlete Ryan McDevitt lined out. Ryan, coached by Kenny McAndrew, has been making his mark all year on the race walking circuit and already has a national schools medal to show for it.
Saturday was no different as Ryan’s hard training came to the fore when he powered through the last 20 meters of his 2000m walk to pip his competitor on the line and became the U14 national race walking champion in a time.of 10.18.17! An outstanding achievement to finish an incredible year on the track for Ryan. Congratulations!
Some of our U14 juveniles also competed in throwing events which was particularly challenging in wet slippery conditions . Despite that, Joshua Horgan still managed to throw 17.65m in Javelin and Ryan McDevitt threw his discus out to 19.50m. Well done Joshua and Ryan and their throwing coach Shane Russell.
It was back to the track for the 100m sprint events. MSB had good representation across the age categories with Mia Brett competing in U15 girls, Chidinma Adakaibe in U16 girls, Ange Makembe in U16 boys and Chib Onwumereh in U19 boys.
First up was Mia Brett in heat 2. Despite light rain it was a blisteringly fast race and won by Dooneen’s Destiny Lawal at 12.30s. Mia did very well to come 4th in 12.83s and secure her place in the final. Her finals took place later in the day when athletes and officials had to deal with torrential rainfall, a very slippery track and heavy cross winds. Despite that Mia got a much improved start out of her blocks and came home in 12.95s, 5th place just behind her fellow Dublin athlete Rachel Afari from Raheny who ran 12.91s. It was below Mia’s PB but an excellent result given the challenging conditions. Well done Mia and her sprint coaches Dan Kavanagh and Caitriona ni Cheadain.
Next up was Chidinma Adakaibe coached by Sean Kildunne, fresh from her junior cert in the first of 3 heats for U16 girls. It was also extremely fast and was won by a Leevale athlete at 12.53s. Chidinma had a brilliant run claiming 3rd place in 13.00s but unfortunately only the first two got automatic qualifications to the final and Chidinma missed out. Well done Chidinma look forward to seeing you back on the track soon.
Staying with U16s we had Ange Makembe also coached by Sean Kildunne, lining out for the boys race. It was another fast heat won by Tallaght AC at 11.43s. Ange had a super run in a personal best time of 11.76s but unfortunately not enough to make the final. Well done Ange.
Finally Chib Onwumereh lined out for the boys U19s. Chib, coached by sprint coach Dan Kavanagh, fresh from a long summer of studying for his leaving cert, pushed hard in a time of 11.81s. While it was short of his PB and capability it was still a very good time. Well done Chib.
Saturday finished with Louis Woodger in the 3000m. Louis has had a magnificent season of racing and this weekend marks the end of his juvenile competitions.
Battling the weather conditions and not feeling 100% Louis still managed to run a fantastic race claiming national silver in 8.57.36. Congratulations Louis and coach Gerry Watt!
That marked the end of a very wet day 2 in Tullamore.
SUNDAY
After a late finish on Saturday, it was an early start on Sunday as athletes, coaches, officials and parents once again faced in to light rainfall from the get go.
The day kicked off for MSB in the morning with 3 field events and the 200m sprints.
Caoimhe Delaney, who has been training very hard under the guidance of her mum, coach Terhi, competed in the U16 long jump, Senan Byrne in the U16 Shot Put and Freya Cooney in the U16 Javelin. All three faced wet and slippery conditions and did extremely well especially Senan who threw a PB of 10.22m. Well done to all and their respective coaches Terhi Kemola, Sean Kildunne and throws coach Shane Russell.
Next up Mia Brett was back for a second day of racing this time in the U15 200m heats. Mia had a super run in to a very tough -2.2 m/s headwind and despite that ran 26.79s with an easy win. However, she came off the run with pain in her left quad and unsure if she could compete in the final.
Despite not feeling her best, after some rest Mia decided to race. Mia gave a gutsy run in the finals but a slow start left Mia in 5th place in a time considerably below her PB. Well done to Mia and her sprint coach Dan Kavanagh. Four hard races including two national sprint finals over two days deserves plenty of rest and recovery.
Next up was Arann Redfern in the boys U15 1500m. Taking a brief break from the Gaeltacht in Galway, Arann had a fantastic run in wet conditions. He blasted his way home in a time of 4.41.79 and took 10th place in a straight final. Arann has had a superb year on the track and improving with every race. Well done Arann.
Finally, Mia Coquart hit the track for the U16 250m hurdles. This is a new hurdles distance for Mia and one that his extremely challenging on the legs. Mia has been training very hard for her hurdles under the guidance of her dad, hurdles coach Cyril Coquart. Fresh from the success of her first combined events last weekend, Mia ran 40.34s beating her Dublin qualifying time, and was 9th fastest across the two heats – just one position off a place in the finals. This was a massive achievement for Mia who returned to athletics after a break this year. Well done to Mia and to both her hurdles coach Cyril Coquart and sprint coach Dan Kavanagh.
And that’s a wrap for the juvenile outdoor track and field season!
Thank you to all the parents who have supported our athletes in attending training and volunteering at Dublin competitions. Our entry in to Dublin competitions is contingent on providing volunteers for officiating. Without parents available to provide support , our kids and our club simply wont be allowed to compete. Your continued support is both vital, appreciated and still very much needed as we look to the competition seasons ahead.
Also a huge thank to the vast team of MSB coaches and helpers who give an extraordinary amount of time and commitment to the club and to our juvenile athletes on a voluntary basis. MSB in its entirety is run by a large group of committed volunteers alongside their busy day jobs. If any parent would like to get more involved please contact the club directly. No experience is needed and training is provided.
Enjoy the recovery period over the next few weeks and we look forward to training again when all batteries have been recharged and we are ready to go forward with the XC season and winter training plans.