CONNACHT INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

Hard to know where to begin after another very successful, tiring and long weekend for the club's athletes and officials at the Connacht Athletics Indoor Championships in Athlone.

With so many excellent performances in all age groups, it is hard to pick out one or two but we have to highlight two extraordinary runs from Toyosi Fagbo as he won the U16 60m and 200m.

His 60m performance was simply on another level as he sped to a new personal best of 7.45 seconds in the U16 60m, his winning margin of over half a second the largest winning margin in any of the sprints over the weekend. Not only that, Toyosi’s time was only beaten by two Senior athletes and equalled by the U18 winner as the 15-year-old went on to make light of a poor lane draw in the 200m, his time of 24.37 more than a second clear of the field.

Ellis Conway was another double winner as she won the U19 400m and 800m, winning the shorter race in 59.98 secs before going on to win the longer race in her debut in the event in a time of 2.27.29, two very composed and impressive performances from Ellis.

Unfortunately the 400m also saw one of our few low spots as Clodagh Sheerin suffered an horrendous hamstring tear midway through the race but she still finished in third place in one of the gutiest runs we've seen in a Carrick AC vest. Just in front of Ellis at the halfway point, Clodagh badly tore her hamstring but completed the entire race, finishing in agony in an incredible display of pain tolerance.

Our Masters athletes were also in superb form - International Michelle Lannon ran a superb 10.55.66 to finish fourth overall in the 3,000m and first master while Ann Wynne led Susanne O’Beirne in the 800m and 1,500m but both picked up golds in the W50 and W35 categories, Susanne also winning silver in the 400m. Our final masters athlete saw Ken Kennedy set a new personal best with an impressive 10.05.

His sons were in good form too as we had the unique honour of winning all three heats in the U13 600m. Declan won the first heat in 1.45.56, Patrick went slightly better with 1.44.60 to 1.46.56 before Cathal Enright won the final heat in 1.48.42, giving up first, third and fifth in the event.

A badly timed muscle strain during the week meant we didn't get to see the best of Alannah McGuinness in the U18 60m but she still ran her fourth fastest time ever of 7.88 despite never really getting going in any phase of the race, perhaps a sign of what she can do when fully fit.

Luke Charles followed his brothers Oliver and Patrick as Connacht medalists with a superb silver in the U12 60m in a time of 8.76 and he then teamed up with Riaghan Guckian, Nathan Casey, Eoin McGowan and Kyle Lannon to take third in the U12 relay, pipping Sligo AC for the bronze medal by one hundredth of a second, all four runners putting in amazing legs.

Our U17 Carrick girls team of Aine McGwynne, Alanna Murray, Lauren Reynolds and Sophie McCabe finally got their hands on a Connacht medal as they finished second in their event with a time of 1.53.85 with Aine still getting the baton to Alanna despite a spectacular dive at the line and Lauren doing another spectacular leg on the third leg.

Jack Keenehan produced the goods at the right time as he leapt to 5.01m to take a bronze medal in the U17 boys long jump.

That completed our medals for the weekend but there were some excellent displays over both days with Paul Lenehan and Cian Mollohan both fourth in their events while the U12, U13 and U14 Girls relay teams all put in very good performances. Emma Clarke also marked her Connacht debut with a fine eighth place in the U15 Girls 60m in a time of 8.69 seconds.

Thanks to all the parents who brought the athletes and really supported them on the day, to Jenny McCabe for looking after the numbers, to officials Siobhan Whelan, Siobhan Murtagh and John Connolly for their work on the day but especially to all our athletes who performed so well in the Carrick AC vest over the two days.

The full list of our performances are as follows: (Full Results are available here)

GIRLS

U12

60m: Amy Murtagh 9.60; Anna Keane 9.74 Heather McElhone 9.78; Katie McDermott 10.48

Hurdles: Anna Keane 7th 12.50

600m: PHoebe Lynott 2.20,84; Katie McDermott 2.28.25

Long Jump: Anna Keane 8th 3.27m; Phoebe Lynott 35th 3.01m

Shot: Phoebe Lynott 11th;v4.66m; Katie McDermott 13th 4.62m

Relay: 7th

U13

60m: Clare Doherty 9.63; Laura Faughnan 10.27

600m: Clara Doherty 8th 1.56.95

Long Jump: Laura Faughnan 2.98m, Caoimhe Gallagher 2.20m

U14

60m: Keelan Cronin 9.07; Zemyna Zasytyte 9.21; Jodie Fitzpatrick 9.31; Hannah Walsh 9.44; Valeria Karaceva 9.64

800m: Kayleigh Earley 2.57.75

Relay: 2.04.16 6th

Long Jump: Keelin Cronin 15th 3.52m, Faith Lynott 19th 3.36m; Hannah Walsh 26th 2.96m

Shot: Faith Lynott 8th 6.97m; Zemyna Zasytyte 14th 5.72m; Valeria Karaceva 15th 5.24m

U15

60m: Emma Clarke 8th 8.69

U16

60m: Sophie McCabe 9th 8.61; Aoibhinn O'Dowd 9.04

200m: Sophie MCCabe 6th 28.35; Aoibhinn O'Dowd 29.59

800m: Kirsty McHenry 9th 2.44.92

U17

60m: Aine McGwynne 7th 8.58

200m: Alanna Murray 29.40

1,500m: Lauren Reynolds 3rd 5.26.13

Relay: 2nd 1.53.85

U18

60m: Alannah McGuinness 2nd 7.88

200m: Laura Conlon 34.27

U19

400m: Ellis Conway 1st 59.98, Clodagh Sheerin 3rd 66.73

800m: Ellis Conway 3rd 2.27.29

Masters

400m: Susanne O'Beirne 1st 73.56

800m: Ann Wynne 1st 2.43.28; Susanne O'Beirne 1st 2.52.38

1,500m: Ann Wynne 1st 5.34.61; Susanne O'Beirne 1st 5.51.75

3,000m: Michelle Lannon 1st 10.55.66

BOYS

U12

60m: Luke Charles 2nd 8.76, Nathan Casey 9.75; Riaghan Guckian 9.86; Eoin McGowan 9.87; Kyle Lannon 10.52

Long Jump: Luke Charles 2.91m 27th; Nathan Casey 2.60m 35th

Relay: Luke Charles, Riaghan Guckian, Eoin McGowan, Nathan Casey 5th 2.09.33

U13

60m: Cathal Enright 9.17 secs 6th; Ben Clarke 10.34
600m: Patrick Kennedy 1st 1.44.60; Declan Kennedy 2nd 1.45.56; Cathal Enright 5th 1.48.42
Relay: Patrick Kennedy, Cathal Enright, Ben Clarke, Declan Kennedy 2.03.94 5th

U14

60m: Oliver Kearney 8.97

U15

800m: Brendan Kennedy 6th 2.31.70

U16

60m: Toyosi Fagbo 1st 7.45
200m: Toyosi Fagbo 1st 24.37; Cian Mollohan 4th 26.09

U17

200m: Jack Keenehan 6th 27.38
Long Jump: Jack Keenehan 3rd 5.01m

U18

60m: Paul Lenehan 8th 8.01
200m: Paul Lenehan 6th 25.98
Long Jump: 4th 4.46m

Masters

3,000m: Ken Kennedy 10.05

CONNACHT INDOORS - FEBRUARY 23 & 24

Just a quick note to wish all our athletes in action this weekend in the Connacht Indoors in Athlone the very best of luck over Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, it is the turn of our U12 and U13 athletes to compete. Organisers have asked everyone to note that due to the large number of entries in the U12 Girls and Boys relays, assembly for the girls event will take place on the inside track at the end of the sprint lanes at 9.30 am sharp so all members of our U12 Girls team must be down in plenty of time to do their warm-up and be ready for assembly.

On Sunday, our U14 athletes right up to Masters will be in action - organisers have asked those competing in 800m events to note that the order of the 800m has been reversed in the updated programme. So instead of starting with Senior and working down the age groups, the 800m races will start with U14 and work up. The correct timetable is below.

We have also been asked to tell everyone that no food or drink, apart from water, is allowed to be consumed in the Indoor Arena on both days and that the canteen will be open on both days.

Again, the very best of luck to all our athletes