Tallaght Athletes Top the Podium For the second weekend in succession a number of Tallaght Senior and juvenile athletes again topped the podium in major competitions. In the National Inter Clubs Cross Country Championships which took place in Santry Demesne on Saturday last, Tomas Fitzpatrick was the first Tallaght athlete to finish the tough 12,000m contest in 10th position overall and combined with Luke Coleman, Artjam Kutjavin and Sean Walsh to take bronze team medals in category C. Elsewhere in the Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships on home ground on the Tallaght track on Friday evening Conor Murray again went top of the podium when he added the U16 1500m title in good style to his 800m success from the previous week and the following day in Santry he again made the podium after taking silver in the 60m sprint after a very tight finish. U16 & U17 1500m Championships – Friday evening 25th February 2011 – Tallaght track The U18 1500m saw Philip Murray set a blistering pace over the first 2 laps and he maintained the lead until the last 150m where the chasing runners closed the gap and relegated him to the bronze medal position behind team mate Uchenna Uwechue who took silver behind the winner Mitchell Byrne from WSAF. Uchenna added bronze the following day in the U18 400m. Both Philip and Uchenna were particularly pleased after achieving new personal best times for the 1500m. On the same evening both Sean Mc Cabe and Bonaface Chege also ran well in their U17 1500m where they finished 4th and 5th respectively. Keith Doherty claimed the U17 60m sprint title after a superb pillar to post victory which saw him win with a few metres to spare over his nearest rivals, whilst Kevin Lahiffe after a very close finish had to settle for silver in his U11 60m sprint final and Eoin Doherty the long jump title winner the previous week added bronze in the U15 60m. The Tallaght relay squads also did well on home ground where they took 7 sets of medals in various age groups. Both the U10 boys Jordan Bracken, Fionn Sevelle, Senan Casey and Yakou Djebbari and the girls Faye Dervan, Orla Doyle, Katie Jordan and Jessica Keegan and Sophia Kourrini combined well to take bronze in their 4X100m relays whilst the U12 boys, Seamus Noone, James Ackermam, Carl Graham and Christopher Duffy went one better when they combined to take silver in their 4X100m. U10 relay squads 2011 Both Christopher and Seamus stepped up in age and combined with Cathal Dervan and Fionn Caroll to take bronze in the U13 4X100m, whilst Cathal and Fionn both stepped up and combined with Ronan Mc Eneaney and Sean Flanagan to take silver in the 4X200m relay. U12 relay squads 2011 The combination of John Daly, Sean Mc Cabe, Conor Murray and Keith Doherty the 4X200m Dublin title winners in 2010, 2009 and 2008 added the 2011 title after a superb team effort which saw them again set a new combined time in the U17 relay final, whilst Keith Doherty stepped up in age and combined with Philip Murray, Uchenna Uwechue and Aaron Mc Donagh to take bronze in the U18 4X200. U17 4X200m relay squad 2011 Other relay squads who did well in the 4X100m contests were Lauryn Mc Dermott, Nicole & Sophy Mc Goldrick and Jessica Keegan at U10 degree, U11’s Eve Keegan, Faye Dervan, Blathain Seville, Faye Dervan & Orla Doyle, U11 boys Yanaengus Geraghty, Carl Graham, Kevin Lahiffe and Sheriyar Quershi , U12 girls, Nadine Johnston Hickey, Grace Dervan, Alana Walsh and Claudia Kavanagh, U12 boys Oisin Brennan, Nazim Kourrini, Dylan Byrne and Sheryar Quereshi and the U13 girls Ciara Jordan, Fatima Irfan, Rebecca Casey and Nadine Johnston Hickey. Aloisa King, Erin O’ Connor, Ruth Hegarty and Kayleigh Clarke just failed to make the podium after they finished 4th in their 4X200m contest, whilst in the individual 60m contests U10’s Lauryn Mc Dermott, Sophis Kourrini and Faye Dervan did very well as did Yanaengus Geraghty  who finished 5th in the U11 final and Grace Dervan and James Ackerman at U12 degree. U14 relay squads 2011