Olympic youth team chosen with spectacular track efforts
Of those already on the short list, David McCarthy (St Augustine's, Dungarvan) was the most impressive, with another solo 800m victory followed by a quick double-up in the intermediate boys' 400m.
His winning time (1:55.51) was not what he had hoped for he had been targeting the 1:54.68 record which was set by James Nolan back in 1993.
But the conditions were atrocious and the gale-force wind ruined his chances: "I ran the first lap in 54 seconds and that was difficult into a very strong headwind and I paid the price in the end. But I have to be satisfied. I did the double and I set a personal best in the 400m.
He had been aiming for qualification in the 1,500m. However, he will have to change those plans now.
The 1,500m berth goes to Ciaran Ó Lionaird (De La Salle, Macroom). He proved no match for Danny Darcy (Pres/DLS, Bagenalstown) in the senior 1,500m but that was to be expected as he was conceding two years in age.
Darcy, who has now won every domestic title available to him both track and cross-country finally claimed this title in a runaway 3:58.34. Last year he had to settle for second place behind Colin Costelloe.
This time Ó Lionaird was a clear second, streets ahead of everyone else, in 4:03.58 and it was this performance which clinched his place on the EYOF team. Up to that point it appeared as if David McCarthy could be the choice at 1,500m with Brian Markham (St Flannan's) also qualified at 800m.
Markham, like Ó Lionaird, was stepping up to senior level for the first time and he finished third behind Eoin Everard (St Kieran's College, Kilkenny) in 1:56.52. Everard defied the conditions to win in 1:534.32 from James King (Letterkenny), 1:55.43.
The most exciting and closest finish of the day was in the intermediate boys' 1,500m where John Coghlan (Castleknock) reproduced a perfectly timed sprint that would have done his illustrious father, Eamonn, proud. He pipped Kevin Cooper (Waterpark) and Ryan Faulkner (St Malachy's) with just the camera separating them, 4:06.83, 4:06.84 and 4:07.07.
Rose Anne Galligan (Newbridge College) recorded an impressive double.
She won a spectacular battle with last year's intermediate champion, Laura Crowe (Presentation, Tralee) to win the senior girls 800m title in 2:11.46 with the Tralee girl second in 2:12.47.
Later she returned for the final of the senior girls 1,500m.
It appeared for a time as if Joanne English (Loreto, Kilkenny) might be about to spring a surprise and Ellen Diskin (HF Clontarf) also threatened in three way sprint down the finishing straight. But Galligan prevailed in 4:43.21 with English second in 4:43.55 and Diskin third in 4:45.21.
Catherina Cuddihy (Loreto, Kilkenny) broke Orla Power's seven year old record when she won the senior girls' 400m hurdles in 60.63 seconds and, after she won the 400m flat in 57.08 secs, her older sister, Joanne, the record holder, was on hand to present her with her medal.
Ciara Cronin (Abbey CC, Waterford) was always going to be the focus of attention in the junior girls' 800m and broke the Irish schools record when winning the title in 2:11.83.
Kalyn Sheehan (Ursuline, Waterford) won the intermediate girls' 300m hurdles in 43.91 secs to reinforce her claim to a place on the
EYOF team and she will be accompanied by the girl who beat her in the 80m hurdles, Mairead Murphy (Mercy, Waterford).
Jason Smyth (Limavaddy GS) set a new Northern Ireland junior record when he won the senior boys' 200m in 21.96 secs from Derek Duff (Glanmire CC), 22.74 and the pair also fought out the finish of the 100m, Smyth winning 10.93 to 11.25.
James Nolan outsprinted Colin Costelloe (Star of the Sea) in the finishing straight to win the Irish Milers Club 1,500m in 3:49.08 to 3:50.11 with the national cross-country champion, Gary Murray (St Malachy's) third in 3:51.37. The women's 800m was won by Maria Lynch (DSD) in 2:15.55 from Orla Drumm (UCC), 2:16.41 and Shannon Elmer (Canada), 2:18.32.
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