Wins for Mary Cullen in the 5000m, Mark Christie in the 10,000m and Anita White in the javelin proved the highlights of the first day of the Glo Health National Track and Field Championships in Santry.
Mark Christie
Christie, of Mullingar Harriers, ran a smart race in the men’s 10,000m letting Raheny’s Mick Clohisey take the lead for much of the race. Only in the final stages did he push to the front showing an impressive turn of speed and quickly building up a formidable lead. He finished in 29 mins 52.84 secs, with Clohisey over eleven seconds adrift and Ryan Creeech of Leevale third. Rathfarnham’s Sean Hehir, who had led briefly mid-race, was fourth.
No such drama in the women’s 5000m where North Sligo’s Mary Cullen led from the start in the hope of making a qualifying time for the World Championships. On a day when the headwind in the finishing straight reached -5 on occasions, that was never going to happen, but Cullen’s time of 16:07.40 saw her finish comfortably clear of Michelle Finn of Leevale who finished in 16:43.31. Winning a tight battle for third place was Ciara Durkan of Skerries.
Despite surgery on a troublesome shoulder over the winter, DSD’s Anita White proved that she was back to her best when 
she won her eighth national javelin title with a throw of 51.56m. That was almost three metres further than her winning throw last year and by some way her best effort this season. Second was Tralee’s Clare Fitzgerald, who had earlier won the discus with a throw of 52.52m, while third was Michaela Walsh of Swinford, who finished 10th in the shot at the World Youth Championships in Columbia earlier this summer.
Race of the day tomorrow could prove to be the women’s 800m, with UCD pair Ciara Everard and Ciara Mageean winning their respective heats and Laura Crowe of Riocht also showing some form for second place behind Mageean.
Winners of the men’s 1500m heats were Eoin Everard of Kilkenny and Donore’s John Travers, with Danny Mooney of Letterkenny second behind Everard.
In the men’s 200m, which required four heats, Marcus Lawler of St LOT is clearly the man to beat.
Only three women lined out for the women’s steeplechase, with Sara Treacy of Dunboyne the clear winner – and almost certain of her place on the team for the World Championships under the quota system. Pics at www.lindie.zenfolio.com
Results –
Women: Finals – 3000m SC: 1 S Treacy (Dunboyne) 9:58.92, 2 AMe McGlynn (Letterkenny) 10:37.27, 3 J Coyne (Dooneen) 10:49.29. 5k walk: 1 V Burke ( Ballinasloe) 25:18.96, 2 M Curley (Craughwell) 26:16.96, 3 L Whelan (Leevale) 26:32.42. 5000m: 1 M Cullen (N Sligo) 16:07.40, 2 M Finn (Leevale) 16:43.31, 3 C Durkan (Skerries) 16:54.78. Triple jump: 1 M McLoone (Tir Chonaill) 12.71, 2 S Buggy (St Abban’s) 12.25, 3 L Saulters (N Down) 11.43. Discus: 1 C Fitzgerald (Tralee Hrs) 52.52, 2 AM Torsney (Fingallians) 43.13, 3 S Parkinson (Gowran) 43.06. Javelin: 1 A White (DSD) 51.56, 2 C Fitzgerald (Tralee Hrs) 40.88, 3 M Walsh (Swinford) 39.83. 4x100m – Fingallians 49.16.
Heats (qualifiers) – 100m: Ht 1 – 1 A Foster (Lisburn) 12.07, 2 C Manning (KCH) 12.11, 3 S Murray (Fingallians) 12.35, 4 C Brady (Celbridge) 12.38, 5 C Neville (Emerald) 12.47. Ht 2 – 1 K Proper (Ferrybank) 12.13, 2 P Healy (Bandon) 12.37, 3 C McManus (DCH) 12.57, 4 L Ryan (Dooneen) 12.78, 5 S Lacey (KCH) 12.96. 800m: Ht 1 – 1C Everard (UCD) 2:13.05, 2 A Odonoghue (Emerald) 2:13.31, 2 F Kehoe (Kilmore)2:13.36, 4 A Lally (GCH) 2:13.41. Ht 2 – 1 C Mageean (UCD) 2:11.95, 2 L Crowe ( Riocht) 2:12.20, 3 A Crossey (UCD) 2:12.40, 4 C Earls (Sli Cualann (2:13.87
Men: Finals – 10,000m: 1 M Christie (Mullingar Hrs) 29:52.84, 2 M Clohisey (Raheny) 30:04.10, 3 R Creech (Leevale) 30:09.34. Triple jump: 1 D Finnegan (Riocht) 15.19, 2 E Kelly (St Abban’s) 14.67, 3 C Mahon (Tir Chonaill) 14.47. Javelin: 1 S McBride (Strabane) 63.21, 2 R Gunning ( Fr Murphy’s) 60.93, 3 J Oosthuysen (Donore) 58.19. Hammer: 1 P White (Dunboyne) 60.13, 2 K Barry (Crusaders) 59.32, 3 S Galligan (Clonliffe) 56.34. 56 lbs Wt for Ht: 1 P Ryan 9Nenagh) 4.10. 2 J Dwyer (Templemore) 3.70. 4x100m: 1 Clonliffe 41.98, 2 Tallaght 42.28, 3 Menapians 43.64.
Heats (Qualifiers) –100m: Ht 1 – 1 M Lawler (StLOT) 11.09, 2 D Adams (B&A) 11.32. Ht 2 – 1 J Browning (B&A) 11.33. Ht 3 – 1 Z Irwin (Sligo) 11.22, 2 K Ogbene (Leevale) 11.26, 3 E Muldowney (Castlecomer) 11.31. Ht 4 – 1 K Elliott (N Sligo) 11.21, 2 K Pike (Clonliffe) 11.27. Ht 5 – C Sibanda (Clonliffe) 11.25, 2 J Ojewumi (Tallaght) 11.27. 400m: Ht 1 – C Lynch (Shercock) 48.88. Ht 2 – 1 Z Curran ( DSD) 48.52. Ht 3 – 1 R Morrissey (Crusaders) 47.98, 2 K Griffin (UCD) 48.12. Ht 4 – B Murphy (Crusaders) 47.77, 2 D Kerwick (Clonliffe) 47.80. Ht 5 – 1 T Crowe (Clonliffe) 48.48. 800m: Ht 1 – 1 M English (UCD) 1:53.84, 2 M McDonald (Clonliffe) 1:55.45, 3 T Hennessy (Nenagh) 1:56.54. Ht 2 – 1 D Murray (Cloliffe) 1:53.36, 2 J Ledingham (W Waterford) 1:53.76, 3 D Landers (Ennis TC) 1:54.46, 4 P Gaffney (MSB) 1:56.54, 5 I Tivy (Togher) 1:57.15. Ht 3 – 1 K Kelly (Raheny) 1:58.30, 2 N Tuohy (Ferrybank) 1:58.58. 1500m qualifiers (from 2 heats) – E Everard (KCH, D Mooney (Letterkenny, K Fallon (GCH), E Keogh (Donore), D Bermingham (Raheny), S Prentice ( Annadale), N Johnston (Springwell), D Fitzgibbon (Donore); J Trvers (Donore, J O’Hare (Annadale), J Warne (Doheny), A Connick ( Ferrybank), A Leighio (Tallaght), N McCartna (E Down), M Conway (DSD).
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