Battle for Euro indoors spots
Jer O’Donoghue (Leevale) would normally be a big favourite going into a sprint in Nenagh but he is recovering form a bout of flu. How that will affect his fitness remains to be seen but he has never lost a 60m sprint at the Co Tipperary venue, where he recently set a new record.
Paul Brizzel was back to his best form last weekend while Gary Ryan, a member of Nenagh Olympic athletic club, was also back in action.
With the likes of Paul Hession, who has qualified for Madrid, and all the other leading sprinters set to line up there should be some exciting competition.
The women’s 60m, however, could provide the most intriguing battle.
Allis McSweeney (Leevale) won both her races in Europe last weekend.
She won in Budapest on Friday in 7.41 secs and then on Sunday in Bratislava she came through from behind to win in 7.39 to post her qualifying time for Madrid.
Next Sunday she will be joined on the line by Emily Maher, Ciara Sheehy, Anna Boyle and her Leevale clubmate, hurdles star Derval O’Rourke, who ran a pb for the 60m dash two weeks ago and is entered for both the 60m hurdles and 60m.
There should be a very interesting 1,500m, with top juniors Colin Costello and Leevale’s Ciaran Ó Lionaird competing.
Costello set a new national junior record at 3:49.20 at the National Indoor Championships in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast a year ago.
Recently in Cardiff 16-year-old Leevale runner Ó Lionaird ran an scintillating 3:50.86. That was an amazing performance but the fact that he was having only his first indoor 1,500m when he almost pipped Liam Reale at the Munster championships in Nenagh last month makes it even more exciting.
The Evening Echo South Munster Schools cross-country championships will be held in the grounds of the Sacred Heart College in Carrignavar on Saturday.
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