With four golds to her credit, Clonliffe’s Snezana Bechtina was one of the undoubted stars at the Irish Life Health Irish Masters Track and Field Championships in Tullamore.
Bechtina’s most impressive performance came in the W35 400 where she clocked a time of 58.77 secs to beat Lisburn’s former Irish international Kelly Neely. She proved the class of the field in the 100m and 200m and also won the long jump.
Over 3000m, Rose Lambe of Carrick Aces took the considerable scalp of Riocht’s Niamh O’Sullivan to win the W55 title with just over a second in it. Anne Gilshinan of Menapians added another medal to her growing collection when she comfortably won the W50 800m.
For Mayo AC, Colette Tuohy won the W45 1500m, Angela O’Connor the W50 3000m, Pauline Moran the W60 800m, 1500m and 3000m beating DSD’s Maxine Jones in all three races. Margaret Glavey managed the same hat trick in the W65 age group. Winning the W50 100m, 200m and 400m and helping Lucan Harriers to relay victory was Carol Kearney.
Irish shot put champion Sean Breathnach of GCH stuck to the discus in Tullamore winning the M35 title with a best of 45.16m. Alan Gunning of Clonliffe won the M35 javelin with 48.21m.
Among the double winners were Jer O’Donoghue in the M35 100m and 200m; his Riocht clubmate Ger Cremin in the 400m and 110m hurdles; David Hayde of St LOT in the M50 100m and 200m; Cathal McLaughlin of City of Derry in the M50 800 and 1500m; Shane Sheridan of DSD in the M55 100m and 200m; David Clarke of North Belfast Harriers in the M55 800m and 1500; Peadar McGing of DSD in the M60 100m, 200m and 400m, long jump, and high jump (and third in the hammer) and Michael Priest of Fr Murphy’s in the M65 400m and 1500. Oldest competitors were Pat Naughton of Nenagh Olympic who won the M80 100m and Con Hearty of DSD who took the 800m and walk titles in the same age group.
Closest race of the day was the M55 800m where David Clarke of North Belfast Harriers just held off John Baldwin from Kilcoole and Dunboyne’s Michael Cornyn, who went on to win the 400m.
Irish Life Masters T-F Tullamore (selected)
W35
100m: Snezana Bechtina (Clonliffe Hrs) 13.06. 200m: Snezana 25.934. 400m: 1 Bechtina 58.77, 2 Kelly Neely (City of Lisburn) 60.58, 3 Annette Quaid (Leevale) 61.20.800m: Denise Toner (Clones) 2:15.90, 2 Martina Kiely (St Finbarr’s) 1:18.09. 1500m: 1 Toner 4:45.40, 2 Niamh Boland (Crusaders) 4:46.25,3 Kiely 4:48.08. 3000n: 1 Michelle Kenny (Leevale) 10:29.04, 2 Jane Bandila (Dunboyne) 10:30.98.Long Jump: Bechtina 4.72, 2 Genieve Rowland (Templemore) 4.29, 3 Louise Collins (Dooneen) 4.25.Javelin: Rowland 23.21. Shot: Ger Stewart (Tir Chonaill) 11.40.
W40
100m: Mary Scanlon (Blackrock Louth) 13.77. 200m: Scanlon 28.83. 400m: Marie Tobin (Dunboyne) 64.40. 800m: Catherine Diver (Beechmount Hrs) 2:23.64. 1500m: 1 Niamh Fitzgerald (Lucan Hrs) 4:53.73, 2 Diver 4:57.71, 3 Mary Leech (Drogheda and Dist) 4:58.17.
Niamh Fitzgerald (Lucan)
3000m: 1 Leech 10:27.66, 2 Maria McCarthy (Farranfore MV) 10:29.90, 3 Adrienne Jordan (Crusaders) 10:42.64.
W45:
100m: Roisin Bell (Dunboyne) 13.90. 200m: 1 Niamh McGuire (Rathkenny) 29.25, 2 Bell 29.33, 3 Dara Car (Lambay SA) 29.39. 400: McGuire 66.82. 800m: Aisling Smith (Sli Cualann) 2:30.52.1500m: 1 Colette Tuohy (Mayo AC) 5:04.04, 2 Evelyn Cashman (Youghal) 5:05.37, 3 Smith 5:20.60. 3000m: 1 Jackie Carthy (Kilmore) 10:32.42, 2 Tuohy 10:47.42. 80m H: Isabell Breslin (Finn Valley) 15.94.
W50:
100m: 1 Carol Kearney (Lucan Hrs) 14.14, 2 Maura Groome (Trim AC) 14.16, 3 Helen Kehoe (Action with Effort) 15.08, 4 Mary Gowing (DSD) 15.75. 200m: 1 Kearney 29.46, 2 Groome 29.82 800m: 1 Anne Gilshinan (Menapians) 2:26.26, 2 Adrienne Atkins (Raheny Shamrock) 2:36.32, 3 Cathryn Brady (DSD) 2:44.21. 1500m: Brady 5:27.10, 2 Angela O’Connor (Mayo) 5:34.27, 3 Atkins 5:42.01.
3000m: 1 Angela O’Connor (Mayo) 11:26.70, 2 Orla Gormley (Raheny Shamrock) 11:43.28, 3 Kay Byrne (Finn Valley) 11:52.48.
W55
800m: Rita Kierce (St Marys Clare) 2:44.48. 3000m: 1 Rose Lambe (Carrick Aces) 11:06.17, 2 Niamh O’Sullivan (Riocht) 11:07.74, 3 Rita Kierce (St Marys Clare 11:24.43.
W60:
100m: Hazel Galloway (Clonmel) 15.90. 200m: Galloway 33.43 (by almost 4 secs). 800m: 1 P
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