Fintan Walsh's weekly blog

Community Games Athletic Finals

On Saturday and Sunday next the All Ireland Community Games Athletic
Finals are in Athlone IT Grounds and Waterford has a big team of
athletes competing. On both days the programme begins at 9 am and
Saturday is mainly for heats and semi finals and on Sunday morning
there are a few more heats also with one or two finals, then from 1.30
pm on the Sunday all the remaining finals take place.We wish all the
athletes from our County every success.

Joe at European Masters

This Wednesday August 22 nd Joe Gough West Waterford AC is in Vittau
in Germany competing in the European Masters Championships in the
heats of the 800 Metres over 55, the final is on Friday August 24 th.

Road Races coming up

Sunday next Slaney Olympic Half Marathon Oylgate, Co Wexford,  10:00am
Contact Name: Mark Gordon Contact Number: 087 1534662 Email:
markgordon91@hotmail.com, Friday August 31 st 7.30 pm Gensyme 5 Miles
at Gensyme Factory a mile out from Waterford City on Old Kilmeaden Rd,
entries from 6.30 pm. Sunday Sept 2 nd  National Half Marathon Athenry
Co Galway see Athletics Ireland website for details.
:
National League

In Tullamore on Sunday last a very depleted Ferrybank AC women's team
eventually finished 5th overall in the National league Premier final.
They had three winners with Jessie Barr in the 400 metres hurdles with
a time of 61.23. seconds well outside her best time, Niamh Whelan won
the 200 Metres in 24.26 and Kate Hickey a guest from West Waterford AC
won the Discus with 38.08 metres. West Waterford women were in the
Division 1 final and again they did not figure finishing 8 th, they
had one winner  Zoe Scanlon in the Discus with 34.35 metres.

McCarthy wins in Clonmel

David McCarthy West Waterford AC won the Boston Scientific Half
Marathon in Clonmel on Sunday last in a time of 70 minutes and 19
seconds and Philip Harty Donore Hrs a native of Ballinamult was third
in 74.44, Brian O'Sullivan Waterford AC was  7th in 77.56 and Angela
McCann Clonmel was first lady home in 80.35.

All Ireland Masters titles won.

Tullamore was also the venue on Saturday last for the All Ireland
Masters Track and Field Championships and there were may winners from
Waterford AC and West Waterford in different age categories. For
Waterford Mary B Ryan Jennings won three titles in the Javelin, Discus
and 3000 Metres and was third in the 1500 metres, Kathleen Kennedy won
the 200 and 400 Metres, Suzanne Dullaghan the 200 Metres and was third
in the 100 Metres, Diane Behan was third in the 400 Metres and Paula
Kavanagh third in Discus.Waterford AC women won the 4x 400 Metres
relay the squad being Suzanne Dullaghan, Diane Behan, Mary Ryan
Jennings and Paula Kavanagh and they were third in the 4x 100 Metres
with Suzanne, Mary, Diane and Kathleen Kennedy.  Brendan Leahy won the
100 Metres and was second in the 200 Metres,Tom O'Brien won the High
Jump and Long Jump and was second in the 400 Metres, Frank Quinlan won
the 5000 Metres and the men were second in both relays 4x 100 and 4x
400 Metres the team being the same for both Paschal Halley,Tom
O'Brien, Brendan Leahy and Malachy McGlynn.  For west Waterford
Brendan Moran won the 100 and 200 Metres, Michael Tutty the Javelin
and Ravis Zakis was third in the 1500 Metres Pat Shannon a coach at
WIT won the Long Jump.

Zakis wins in Ardmore

On Friday last the final race in the Ger Wyley Sports Series the An
Tobar 5 miles was held in Ardmore with an entry of 140 and Ravis Zakis
West Waterford won in a time of 26 minutes 56 seconds, Seamus Mullaney
Thurles Crokes was second in 27.34 and Sean Stillwell West Waterford
third in 28.09. Angela McCann Clonmel was first lady home in 29.42,
Corina Walsh West Waterford AC was second in 31.36 and Laura Flavin do
was third in 33.50. The overall winners of the very successful series
which has been running for 18 years were Ravis Zakis and Corina Walsh.

Island Run

Three hundred and thirty six competed in the Island 5 km run in
Waterford Castle Grounds on Sunday and the winner was Michael Dowling
Ferrybank AC, Pat Byrne was second and David Hipwell was third. Sylvia
Malone won the ladies section from Joan O'Mahony and Siobhan Boylan.

Coaching Courses:

Assistant Coach Course, Kilkenny City Saturday September 15th 2012.
10am-5pm.Price is €60.00. Contact: Colin Byrne
colinbyrne@athleticsireland.ie or 087-0632326 for further details.
Location – The Watershed Sports Complex, Loughboy, Kilkenny City.
September 12th – Introducing Sprints + Hurdles Workshop – Kilkenny
6.30 – 8.30pm Open to all Coaches and athletes over 12. Venue: The
Watershed, Loughboy, Kilkenny City.  Cost: €5 per Athlete/Coach.
September 13th – High Jump + Hurdles Workshop – Waterford 6.30 –
8.30pm Open to all Coaches and athletes over 12.Venue: The RSC, Cork
Road, Waterford                                  Cost: €5 per
Athlete/Coach

Olympic Facts and Figures

Over 2000 track and field athletes from 201 countries competed at the
London Olympics and athletes from just 41 countries got a medal of
some kind out of the 129 on offer between men and women in gold,
silver and bronze. Ireland of course with 18 athletes in 14 events did
not figure in the list but we were in good company as there were no
medals for Spain, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland,
Austria to mention but a few. Cuba got one silver and one bronze,
while Japan, Morocco, Finland and Canada got one bronze each, Italy
got one silver as did South Africa. Six athletes retained titles Usain
Bolt Jamacia 100 and 200 Metres, Tomas Majewski Poland Discus,
Tirunesh Dibaba Ethiopia 10000 Metres, Valerie Adams Jamacia  Discus,
Barbara Spatakova Czech Republic Javelin, Shelley Ann Frazer Jamacia
100 metres. In Beejing Kenya won six Gold medals and in London they
won two both with men so a postmortem no doubt will be held there and
in London Ethiopia won three Gold medals all with women. The Olympics
held every four years are not the easiest of places to pick up Track
and Field medals as these statistics prove and it will always be the
same

Liz Hayes Memorial Race

On August Monday 150 competed in the  Liz Hayes Memorial 5 Miles Race
in Ballyduff Lower and there were many walkers also.
Philip Harty Donore Hrs won from local man Paul Stephenson and Frank
Hayes East Cork a cousin of the late Liz was third. Corina Walsh West
Waterford was first lady home,.Claire Tuohy Mayo was second and Joan
Mahony Waterford  was third.
Very well done to all involved in the organisation of the event
especially Joan Stephenson who travelled  far and wide to publicise
it. The event raised Two Thousand One Hundred and Eight Euro and was
given to The Community Centre Development Fund  a cause that would be
dear to the heart of the late Liz Hayes.

Notice on Supplements.

The Irish Sports Council last week issued an advisory notice to
athletes on the use of supplements following the recent case of an
Irish Soccer player who has been sanctioned for the presence of
methylhexanamine after taking the supplement Jack3D and also a case in
Rugby in autumn 2011. Of particular concern to the ISC is the
anecdotal evidence of widespread use in team sports in Ireland.
Commonly labelled under numerous names, methlyhexanamine is classed as
an S6 stimulant on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List and
is prohibited in-competition. Methlyhexanamine is increasingly being
found in nutritional supplements, typically those that are designed to
increase energy or aid weight loss.Many products sold as dietary
supplements openly list this substance on their labels. The list is
available on Athletic Ireland Website and also from the Sports Council
and all athletes and all coaches reading this should make it their
business to check it out