Saturday/Sunday 28th/29th March was the first week-end of the AAI National Juvenile Indoor Championships, held at the Nenagh Sports Complex. To qualify for a National final is a great achievement and our young athletes put in some spirited performances. While it’s nice to win a medal, it’s not all about medals and running to the best of your ability is just as, if not more, important.

First in action were our two 60m sprinters, Aaron Glynn and Mairéad Sayeh, both competing under 15. Aaron was lucky enough to have a straight final where he ran a great race but finished 6th, out of the medals, but a great consolation was that he ran a personal best. Mairéad was unlucky not to make the final, missing out by just one place, but also ran very well and also ran a personal best. These performances will give them real confidence for the outdoor season ahead.

In the 600m u/12, Cormac Dalton and Shane Hughes came safely through their heats on the Saturday and bright and early on Sunday morning took command of the final from early on when Shane went to the front after 70m and led the field through the first lap, with Cormac close behind. Cormac took over on lap two and Shane tucked in behind him to go through the bell one-two for Mullingar and at the finish it was Cormac first but Shane had to find an extra burst at the line and fight for second place. We waited with bated breath for the photo finish to confirm that Shane had got the silver, by a mere two hundredths of a second, but that’s enough and the Mullingar supporters were delighted, their parents in particular. This was a great result for these two talented boys and no doubt we’ll see them going head to head again during the outdoor season.

Not so fortunate for Glen Gaffney and Oisin Quinn in the 600m u/13 where they were surprisingly eliminated in the very hotly contested heats despite giving it their very best and running so well. Championship racing can be cruel but Glen and Oisin are still among an elite corps to qualify for the National finals.

No stranger to National finals, Amie Giles competed in the 1,500m u/17 and tried very hard to keep in contention but as the race unfolded she found herself fighting for the bronze, a fight she ultimately lost as she finished 5th, a good placing in the Nationals, but outside the medals. Thomas Fagan put down a marker as he won his heat of the 1,500m u/17 on Saturday and in Sunday’s final ran a clever tactical race and timed his finish perfectly to take a well earned bronze medal to add to his growing collection of National medals.

Also competing on Sunday was Philip Giles in the 60m hurdles u/15 but was unlucky not to advance to the final but can still hold his head high as he qualified for the Nationals. At the shot putt circle, Ciara Fogarty struggled to find form in the u/16 event, but illness in the days before drained her of her strength, which is a terrible shame as on any other day she would have been competing for honours. The outdoor season awaits Ciara too.

All told, this has been a very successful Championship so far for Mullingar with some medals, good finish places in finals, and a number of personal best times recorded. The final round is in Magherafelt, Co. Derry on Saturday 4th April where Mullingar will have a number of its 800m athletes in action. We wish them the very best of luck in their quests for glory.

DAY 3

Making a bit of athletics history, day 3 of the AAI National Juvenile Indoors on Saturday 4th April was held for the first time in Northern Ireland. The venue was the magnificent Meadowbank Sports Arena in Magherafelt, Co. Derry, which with two and a half acres under roof, is the largest building of its type in Europe and houses the only permanent 300m indoor track in Europe. The layout of the track is very different to what we’ve come to know very well in Nenagh, and not just because it’s longer, but also because the bends are flat and not banked. The new environment didn’t seem to bother our 800m athletes at all, judging by their performances.

Despite being hampered by a leg injury and the remnants of a head cold, Linda Conroy was right up with the leaders into the last lap of the 800m under 14 but her characteristic sprint kick deserted her on the day, which is not too surprising under the circumstances, and she had to settle for bronze at the finish but was pleased nonetheless with her efforts.

Elizabeth Carr showed why she is so feared on the track with a powerful display in the 800m under 15 where she controlled the entire race and when the time came to make her move she just pulled away with ease to win in a new Championship Best Performance of 2:22.33, a time no doubt she’ll improve on in the outdoor season ahead. Also competing and running very well in the pressure of a National final was Lorraine Daly and Donna Kiernan and while initially disappointed not to get among the medals, realize that 800m is a short race and they might be more suited to the longer 1,500m distance, which they’ll get to run in the upcoming Schools track season.

In the boys 800m under 15, all eyes were on Shane Fitzsimons and right from the start he set a very fast pace and went to the front where he took firm control of the race. It was clear early on that is was going to be Shane against the clock with everyone else competing for the minor places. Like Elizabeth, Shane rewrote the record books and his winning time of 2:03.85 was also a Championship Best Performance. He clearly is an awesome talent and one to keep watching for the future and with the right conditions, how much closer to 2 minutes will he go this year?

Amie Giles worked hard and stayed with the early pace in the 800m under 17 and for a while it looked like her efforts might be rewarded with a medal, but with 200m to go she just seemed to lack the vital edge to stay with the leaders and though she finished well she finished out of the medal places, but top marks for effort.

It was a similar fate for Aoife Hogan in the 800m under 19, where she led to the bell but despite putting in a real effort to stay with the pace the recent illness that prevented her competing in Nenagh the previous week-end, took its toll and she finished out of the medals too but can take satisfaction with being among an elite to qualify for a National final, especially satisfying in her last season as a Juvenile athlete.

This has been a successful Championship for Mullingar with medals, good finish places, and a number of personal best times recorded and over the two week-ends it was a privilege to witness the efforts of our young athletes, whether they won medals or not, as they know that to qualify for a National final is a great achievement and puts them among a very select group of athletes.