Fintan Walsh, County PRO, weekly roundup

Barr's brilliant in Helsinki

Last week at the European Athletic championships in Helsinki a brother
and sister from Ferrybank AC Thomas and Jessie Barr rose to the
occasion magnificently in their 400 Metres Hurdle Races at their first
major Senior Championships. Jessie with top performances in her heat
and semi final made it through to the final where eventually after
three top class races in as many days she had no more to give
eventually finishing 8 th in the final where fatigue took its toll. On
day One in her heat she finished 2 nd in 50.59 seconds easily going
through, the next day she clocked a personal best of 55.93 in
finishing fourth to go through to the final as one of the fastest
losers and on day 3 she clocked 56.83 in the final.  The (A) Olympic
Qualification mark is 55.50 and Jessie is just outside it but she has
the ( B ) standard. After her performances in Helsinki it would appear
that there is great case for her to be given the chance in the
Olympics.Thomas too had an excellent Championships as he finished
second in his heat on Wednesday in 50.59 to make the semi final easily
and then in the semi final on Thursday- the fastest of the three
semi's held- he finishes fifth again improving his season's best time
to 50.22 seconds and again at just 19 years of age he is close to the
Olympic Standards which are 49.50 for the( A  ) and 49.80 for the ( B)
he has a best time of 50.08. Either way both will now have great
opportunities to get into the major races around Europe and look to
have exciting careers ahead..

Successful Viking Marathon

The first Annual WLRFM Viking Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay was a
great success with almost 1800 competitors taking part
ranging in many ages from late teens up to the over 70 category . The
race was started outside City Hall by Waterford's Marathon Olympic
silver medallist John Treacy at 9 am after Mayor Jim Darcy had greeted
the runners there. The course took in parts of the inner city, Tramore
Road, Lacken Road, Ballybeg Drive, and on out past Whitfield Clinic
out to Orchardstown Cross then over to Tramore with a circuit in the
town and back to the RSC . The eventual winner Bryan Murphy Carrick on
Suir led from an early stage and despite encountering several
difficult moments in the last mile or so he won easily from Frank
Quinlan Waterford who too had some problems, Peter Hickey was third.
Angela McCann Clonmel won the ladies section comfortably from Mags
Kirwan Bolger from Kill who ran a great race and Ann Marie Holland
Eagle AC Cork was third. Alan Corcoran who had completed 34 Marathons
in successive days made it 35 as he finished in Waterford on Saturday.
Seventy four year old Kay O'Regan from Slaney Olympic in Wexford
completed the course her 108 th Marathon as did the well known Paddy
Grace from Lisduggan in the over 70 category. the sole wheelchair
competitor was Gerry Forde from Co Cork. Its true to say that all who
finished the races were winners many running for charities and for
Waterford it was a very positive day. Crowds all round the course gave
lots of encouragement to the competitors and in the RSC the atmosphere
was electric. Sincere thanks to all those on duty on the day
stewarding, those at water stations, ambulance crews, cyclist's,
physios, medical staff, recorders etc, the bands, Waterford City
Council and a special thank you to the Gardai, their input was
super.WLRFM together with their other sponsors of whom there were many
deserve a big bula bos, roll on 2013.

Marathon Results

Men 1 B Murphy Carrick on Suir 2.38.36, 2 F Quinlan Waterford
2.42.08,3 P Mooney 2.44.32, 4 M Morgan St Finbarr's 2.46.52, 5 T Kelly
Nth Sligo 2.47.34, 6 G Brady Donore Hrs 2.49.33.  o 40 T Kelly Nth
Sligo,o45 G Taylor, o 50 B Ryan Tallaght, o 55 E Doherty Sliabh Bhui
Rovers,o 60 E Whelan Nth Sligo, o 70 P Grace Waterford.  Women 1 A
McCann Clonmel  2.51.14, 2 M Kirwan Bolger Waterford 3.01.20, 3 A M
Holland Eagle 3.04.06, 4  E Murphy St Finbarr's 3.15.48, 5 A M O Grady
KCH 3.23.09, 6 D Behan Waterford 3.24.10. o 35 A M Holland, o 40 A
McCann,o 45 M Kirwan Bolger, o 50 A Srarvrou St Finbarr's, o 55 M Ryan
Jennings Waterford, O 60 T Gough West Waterford, 0 70 C O'Regan Slaney
Olympic First Team  Sarah S Honey

Half Marathon Results

Men 1 A Thompson  1.17.41, 2 1, 2 F Walsh Waterford 1.18.02,  3  A
Storey do 1.21.29. o 40  M O'Mahony Waterford, o 45 M Dunford, West
Waterford, o 50 G Cantwell do, o 55  T Burns Waterford, o 60 P Moore
Dungarvan  Women 1 T Cunningham Carrick on Suir 1.32.04, 2 J Lacy
1.34.52,  3 L Nyhan West Waterford.1.36.03. o 35 J Lacy, o40 T
Cunningham, o 45 J Brazil Waterford, o 50 B Prendergast West
Waterford, o 55 H Kennedy, o60  J Matthew ,o 70 M Walls.   1800
competed overall

World Junior championships

Kate Veale West Waterford AC and Ben Kiely Ferrybank AC are both ion
the Irish Team for the World Junior Championships in Barcelona from
July 10 th to 14 th. Kate goes in the 10 KM Walk final and Ben in the
400 Metres heats both on Wednesday morning July 11 th.

Woodies DIY All Ireland Senior Championships this week end

Santry Stadium is the venue on Saturday and Sunday next for the All
Ireland Senior Track and Field championships and all the country's
leading athletes will be competing including all the Waterford stars.
Last year four athletes from Waterford won titles Jessie and Thomas
Barr both 400 Metres Hurdles, Cara Kennedy Hammer all three with
Ferrybank and Kate Veale West Waterford 5000 Metres Walk. It looks as
if three will be defending them as Kate is out of the country
preparing for the World junior Championships in Barcelona from 10 to
14 th July. The above three will be fancied to retain their titles and
others expected to figure prominently are Kelly Proper, Niamh Whelan,
Billy Ryan, Chris Russell Ferrybank and the Houlihan's from West
Waterford in the Pole Vault Thomas and Lisa, Zoe Scanlon and Clare
Collins. This is probably the last chance that athletes have to get a
qualifying time for the Olympics

Jamie's Last try

On Sunday at a meeting in Norway Jamie Costin competes in a 20 KM Walk
in his final attempt to get an ( A )qualifying standard for the
Olympics. He tried the 50 Km without success and hopes he can do the
job for the 20 km on Sunday

Lots of Juvenile wins

In Cork on Saturday and Sunday last at the Munster u 14 to 19
Championships there were many winners from Ferrybank and West
Waterford. The Ferrybank winners were Orlaith O'Brien u 14 Javelin and
Shot Putt, Paul Murphy u 17 400 M , Niamh Giles Doran u 17 Long Jump,
Ciara Giles Doran u 18 400 M Hurdles Stephen Murphy u 16 200 M, Neasa
Murphy u 16 High Jump, Aisling Quinn u 16 1500 M, Sorcha Murphy u 18
High Jump, Conor Giles Doran u 14 Hammer, Nicole Rowe u 18
Steeplechase, Girls u 17 and  u 18 relay. Silver medals were won by
Aisling Quinn u 16 800 M, Sinead O'Regan u 14 High Jump, Siobhan
Whelan u 17 High Jump, Ciara Giles Doran u 18 400 M ,100 M Hurdles and
Boys u 14 relay, bronze medal winners were Aoife Harrison u 15 Long
Jump, Anne Corcoran u 14 200 M, Javelin and Shot Putt, Orlaith O'Brien
u 14 Discus and Hammer, Cormac McCann u 15 250 M Hurdles, Ciara Giles
Doran u 18 Long Jump, Chris Noonan u 16 250M Hurdles, Kellie Meade, u
16  High Jump, Niall Murphy u16 Triple Jump, Stephen Walsh u 16 100 M,
John Halley u 19 100 M, Niamh Giles Doran u 17 100 M. The West
Waterford winners were Jamie Mc Kelvie u15 Discus,  Sarah Keoghan u 17
Pole Vault, Seamie Fennell u 16 Pole Vault, Lce Houlihan u 19 Pole
Vault  Josh Rockett u 15 Hammer, Laura Connors u 17 High Jump, Silver
medals went to Martin Houlihan u 19 Pole Vault, Aoife Hamilton u15
1500 M. Ciara Scanlon u 19 Hammer, Kate Hickey u 18 Discus, Josh
Rockett u 15 Discus, Erwin Legal u 17 Steeplechase, Tholm Reddy u 16
800 M, Jamie Mc Kelvie u15 Hammer. and bronze medals went to Luke
Sheehan u 19 Hurdles, Kate Hickey u 18 Shot Putt and Ciaran Dee u 18
Walk, Lucy O'Brien u14 800 m and Caoimhe Dwyer u14 800 M. For Tramore
Emannuel Ogbonna won the Triple jump u 18 and was second in Long Jump,
Damon Crowley was 3rd u17 3000 Metres, for Waterford AC Richard Lucas
won the 800 M u 19, Kathleen Heery the Javelin u 14 Luke O'Brien was
second in the u 14 Javelin Alan Slattery was second u 19 3000 M and
third in the 1500 M and for An Ghaeltacht Ciaran O'Maoileoin was
second in the u14 Discus and third in the Hammer


Glaxo Smithkline 5 Miles on Friday

The 13 th Annual Glaxo Smithkline 5 Miles Road Race is in Dungarvan on
Friday next July 5 th at 8 pm.Its race 8 in the Ger Wyley Sports
Series. Entries will be taken at the Dungarvan United Football Club
Pavillion, Kilrush, Dungarvan from 6.45 pm.