At the National Community Games Finals in
Mosney last weekend three of our juvenile athletes combined to take
Gold for Dublin in the U16 Girls Marathon.
The most grueling event of the athletics programme, the marathon, run
on Sunday morning produced the first of Dublin’s medals. In the U16
girls contest which was to be run over a distance of 6k but was
changed to 7k, a change the Dublin competitors were unaware of and
which caused them some concern. However, our 3 girls (silver medal
team winners from last year), Aisling Johnston, Aoibheann Tierney and
Jade Corcoran, despite their protestations, toed the line and from the
off were well placed in the leading group, with Aisling (2005
individual bronze medalist) sitting to the front where she dictated
the pace with a group of four that included the 2005 winner from
Kilkenny until the 5.5k mark. At that point, the home turn leading to
Mosney off the Dublin Belfast Road, Aisling took the lead, but still
had the other three in close contention chasing her in single file
behind, and with only a few metres between each it was always going to
be a battle to the finish.
Despite the pressure she turned into the Mosney complex in the lead
and had enough in reserve to sprint the final few hundred metres,
storming away, to take the title with almost 80m to spare, ahead of
Claire Madigan (Clare), Deirdre Doyle (Carlow) and last years winner,
Grainne Brennan (Kilkenny), with Aiobheann Tierney battling all the
way to finish 11th and Jade Corcoran following her home in 15th. The
combined finishing positions of the 3 girls (27) was enough to secure
the team gold medals, one better than last year, ahead of Clare and
Kerry, to register the first ever girls marathon team gold medal win
for the Capitol.
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Aoibheann Tierney, Aisling
Johnston & Aoibheann Tierney.
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This win was especially sweet for Aisling as
it was her final year to compete in Community Games, and although this
was her 8th appearance for Dublin, on previous occasions representing
her county in cross country, track and marathon, winning individual
and team silver and bronze medals along the way, this was the icing on
the cake in her final year as a community games competitor.
Aoibheann was also more than pleased, as she was also bowing out with
a Gold team medal to add to her marathon team silver in 2005 and cross
mixed distance cross country team silver in 2004.
In the boy’s race, run over the same distance, the Dublin team
included another Tallaght A.C. athlete, Colm Oman who ran
exceptionally well despite feeling the obvious effects of returning
from Florida the previous evening, finishing a good 41st but doing
enough to add to the excellent runs of the other two Dublin scoring
team members, to help Dublin win the team bronze medals. With both
Jade and Colm again underage next year, they most certainly will be an
asset to Dublin’s marathon team aspirations for 2007.
Other Club athletes competing for the Capitol in the games were Conor
Murray who qualified through the quarterfinals of the U10 200m,
unfortunately missing out by one place for the final, whilst Rebecca
Game ran in the U16 1500m, but lack of fitness, due to an aggravated
hip injury that curtailed her training in the weeks prior to the
event, resulted in her exit in the semi-final stages on Saturday. In
the boy’s equivalent, Brian Connolly, after qualifying through the
semi-final on Saturday had a tough assignment against some very tough
athletes in Sundays final, but despite his best efforts he finished
down the field.
In the field events Amy Connaughton (U10) ball throw and Aisling Pyke
(U14 long puck), both did their best in their competitions but
unfortunately failed to make the final cut, whilst Glen Fullam,
brother of club athlete Carla won silver with a throw of over 59m. in
the U12 ball throw contest.