McSweeney on track for Munster indoor sprint double
The 21-year-old Leevale athlete already has the qualifying standards for the 100m for the European U-23 championships in Germany and the World Student Games in Turkey in August.
But her coach John Sheehan insists the 200m standard is within her reach. She has run just outside 24 seconds and her 11.60 for 100m suggests she can better that.
“It is not something I will be aiming for but if it comes it will be a bonus,” she said, adding a national senior title is high on her list of priorities.
Last year she was just pipped by Ciara Sheehy in the 100m and 200m finals but she came away from those championships with a new career best time of 11.60 for 100m.
“This year it will be even more difficult. Anna Boyle is improving all the time and Emily Maher is back training with Jim Kilty’s group.
“We will have the athletes who were there last year as well as some of those who were figuring a few seasons ago back in contention.
“It is going to be difficult but I am looking forward to it.”
With the European indoors on the horizon, Sunday’s Munster championships are important because the Irish team for the meeting in Cardiff will be selected after the event.
The championships are open this year with a number of athletes from Northern Ireland joining those from Leinster who would have competed only as guests in the past.
“We decided to open them up this because of the huge interest we had from athletes in the past - all wanting to get in as guests,” Munster Council Secretary Jerry Lyons said.
“The response has been encouraging and we will probably continue this into the future.”
McSweeney will chase the 60m and 200m titles on Sunday, with Cardiff looming, followed by the national indoors and the Europeans. She would like to go to Madrid to experience big-time athletics. She has already represented Ireland on relay squads at the Europa Cup but wants to run in the sprints next summer when Ireland compete in Division One.
“Great Britain women have been relegated to Division One so that will mean the competition will be good,” she said.
She graduated with a law degree from UCC last year and while she will continue her studies, athletics will be a priority for the coming year.
She has been coached by the national junior coach, John Sheehan, since her schooldays at St Aloysius in Carrigtwohill where she was a member of a sprint relay squad that dominated the Irish schools championships.
Jer O’Donoghue, another Leevale sprinter, is one of the big favourites in Nenagh where he has run big races and he will launch the new year in style. His progress has been steady over the past year. His Leevale clubmate, Darren O’Donovan, and Seamus McAteer (Strabane) will be among the challengers.
McAteer is also entered in the 400m where schools hurdles champion Ronan Foolkes (Togher) is an entry.
Liam Reale is back from the US and goes in both the 800m and 1,500m, while another athlete home from the US is Patrick Guidera (Clonmel) who goes in the 3,000m alongside Mark Hanrahan (Leevale).
Orla Drumm (UCC) turned in some brilliant performances in Nenagh as a teenager and the attention will be focused on her when she lines up for the women’s 800m.
Ciaran O’Lionaird (Leevale) is an interesting entry in the junior men’s middle distance events. The intermediate schools 1,500m champion will be chasing selection for the European Youth Olympics and the world youth championships this year.
The programme gets under way at 11am with the walks and hurdles.
Meanwhile, 50 athletes will travel to Belfast tomorrow for the Belfast International Cross-Country at Stormont Estate.
Mark Christie (DCU), who led the Irish junior team to the silver medals at the European championships last month, is included and his fellow Mullingar athlete, Martin Fagan, is back from Providence College for the festive season and is included in the entries.
Paul McNamara, Joelen Byrne and Pauline Curley are other notables travelling, while Danny Darcy, another member of the silver medal-winning team in Germany, is recovering from a heavy cold and will not compete.
Mark Kenneally is waiting for the Great Edinburgh International at Hollywood Park the following week.
The teams for the Celtic International will be selected after the weekend and this year there will be senior men’s and women’s teams competing, as well as the U-17s, U-19s and U-23s as the event is opened up.
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