National titles and international performance highlights of busy week for Offaly Athletics club

Duffy and Maher claim National Titles at 123.ie Juvenile Championships

The future of Irish athletics was on display in Tullamore as the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships got underway on Saturday and Sunday the 28th and 29th of June. In an impressive weekend of competition, local talent shone brightly with standout performances from Tullamore Harriers middle distance and U19 sprint stars.

Duffy dominates Steeplechase
Patrick Duffy delivered a gold-medal performance in the U17 Boys 2000m Steeplechase, crossing the line in 6:26.18 to claim the All-Ireland title. Duffy led a strong Tullamore Harriers middle-distance group, with all five clubmates achieving personal bests across their events:
Adelyn Walsh  - 6th in U16 800m (2:18.78)
Ronan Keaney -  9th in U17 3000m (9:21.40), 6th in U17 800m (2:04.60)
Niamh Garvey - 6th in U18 3000m (10:30.64)
Aoibhe Moore - 8th in U18 3000m (10:47.59)
The championships continue over the coming weekends, providing more opportunities for these rising stars to shine.

Maher claims second National Sprint title

Pictured above:  Alisha Maher, Teagan Delaney and Eimear Cotter at the All Ireland Track and Field Championships.

Despite challenging weather on Day 1, Alisha Maher powered to victory in the U19 100m final, clocking 12.31 seconds to secure her second All-Ireland title of the season. A strong start and composed finish helped her pull away from the field despite rain and a headwind.
Teammate Katie Deverell, fresh from completing her Leaving Certificate, placed a commendable 5th in the final with a time of 12.85. The U19 girls' squad including Lucy Champ (13.18), Eimear Cotter (13.54), and Teagan Delaney (13.64) - all performed impressively in their heats.
These young athletes look set for a successful summer of national and international competition.

Ava O'Connor impresses at European Team Championships in Maribor

A huge congratulations to Ava O’Connor, who delivered a standout performance for Team Ireland at the European Athletics Team Championships Division 2 in Maribor, Slovenia, over the weekend of June 28^th - 29th.

Ava claimed an excellent 4th place finish in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, clocking a time of 9:45.09. Her performance earned 14 valuable points for the Irish team on Day 1 of the championships, helping Ireland sit in 5th place after the opening 20 events with 192 points. Ireland went on to finish 5th overall in the final standings with 349 points, behind Belgium, Slovenia, Norway, and Turkey, with the top three teams earning promotion to Division 1.

Ava’s performance on the international stage is another major milestone in her career and reflects her dedication to the sport.

Tullamore Harriers at the Irish Runner 5 Mile -National Championships

Four Tullamore Harriers athletes took to the roads of Phoenix Park for the Irish Runner 5 Mile, part of the Biofreeze Athletics Ireland Race Series and the host event for the National 5 Mile Road Championships.

Barry Minnock and Eileen Kenny led the way with gold medal-winning performances in their respective age categories. Barry was first in the M50 category with a time of 27:31, while Eileen secured top honours in the F75 division, clocking 37:59. Jamie Malone had a superb run, finishing 34th overall in a strong time of 29.00 showing great form in a highly competitive field. Rita Daly also put in a very strong performance, crossing the line in 36:01.

Pictured above: Rita Daly, Jamie Malone and Eileen Kenny at the Irish Runner 5 Mile.

The race was won by Emmet Jennings (DSD AC) in 24:19 for the men and Patricia Jackman (Waterford AC) in 27:16 for the women. Congratulations to all four athletes on representing the club so well.

Strong performances from Tullamore Harriers at IMC Crusaders AC Meet

Three Tullamore Harriers athletes lined out at the Irish Milers Club Meet, hosted by Crusaders AC at Morton Stadium, Dublin, on Saturday, June 28th, and all delivered impressive performances.

Michael Murphy starred in the Men’s 1500m B race, producing a standout performance. Taking the lead after just 650m, Michael controlled the race from the front and powered home to win in 3:48.51 -a massive 5-second personal best and finishing over five seconds clear of his nearest rival, Donal O’Shea. A superb result for Michael.

Michael Murphy at the Irish Milers Meet.

Shauna Leydon also impressed, taking victory in the 800m B race with a strong finish, clocking 2:16.13. Another excellent result for Shauna in a competitive field.

Jack Donegan finished 6th in the 1500m C race with a solid time of 4:04.56, just three days after running 4:067 in the Men's A 1500m at the Dublin Graded Meet in Santry also, showing great consistency and commitment.

Pictured: Jack Donegan at the IMC Crusaders AC.

Well done to all three athletes on their fantastic performances.

Roscommon Harriers 10 Mile

Well done to Paschal Naughton and Olive Mannion, who took part in the 10th anniversary of the Roscommon Harriers 10 Mile Road Race on Saturday, June 28th.

The event, part of the Peugeot Race Series, featured a scenic route starting and finishing on the outskirts of Roscommon Town and drew a strong field of just under 500 runners from across the country.

Paschal Naughton crossed the line in 1:28:25

Olive Mannion finished in 1:42:35

Offaly 10K Road Championships

The recent Jack Cox 10K, hosted by Kilcormac Killoughey AC served as the official event for the Offaly Athletics 10K Championships.

Well done to all the Tullamore Harriers athletes who lined out and competed, with some fantastic performances and tight battles for county medals across all categories.

County championship medals will be presented at the Offaly Athletics Annual Awards Ceremony in November.

Individual Results – Tullamore Harriers AC

Senior Male

2nd Paul Mitchell

3rd Kevin Minnock

O45 Male

2nd Padraig Berry

O50 Male

1st Barry Minnock

O60 Male

1st Brendan Abbott

O40 Ladies

2nd Niamh McEnhill

3rd Charlotte Abbott

O45 Ladies

1st Sarah Flanagan

2nd Evelyn Herlihy

O50 Ladies

1st Karen Nolan

2nd Rita Daly

O60 Ladies

1st Mary Daly

2nd Mary Galvin

O70 Ladies

1st Eileen Kenny

Team Results – Tullamore Harriers AC

Senior Ladies

1st Tullamore Harriers AC (Sarah Flanagan, Evelyn Herlihy, Karen Nolan, Maire Triona Keane)

O50 Ladies

1st Tullamore Harriers AC (Rita Daly, Eileen Kenny, Mary Daly, Mary Galvin)

Senior Men

1st Tullamore Harriers AC (Paul Mitchell, Kevin Minnock, Barry Minnock, Jonathan Dunne)

O50 Men

1st Tullamore Harriers AC (Jody O'Reilly, Alan Mitchell, Brendan Abbott, Gerry Dunican)

Condolences

Tullamore Harriers AC extends its deepest sympathies to the Stewart family on the recent passing of James Murphy, Cork. May he Rest in Peace.

SEE NEXT: Memory of late Offaly man celebrated in big Shelbourne Park greyhound final

Fixtures

Sunday 13th July – Edenderry 10 Mile

Gowran 8 – Tuesday 22nd July

Senior Training

Training Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.40pm to 8.30pm.

For any enquiries contact club captains Glen 0868275228 or Rita

0868386687