AAI National T&F League 2016
The 2016 National League will take place over the three dates, June 12th, July 17th with the final on August 7th. Following last years strong performance which saw the Kildare County female team reach the premier division final and the male team showing great promise with a very competitive performance in round 2 also in the premier division. We are confident that the County can put forward two strong teams in both rounds to build on the solid platform established last year. Athletes from all clubs are invited to put their name forward for selection by informing their coach that they would like to be considered. Performance in this year’s County T&F Championship will be a consideration in the team selection process. This is a fabulous opportunity for Kildare athletes to compete against Ireland’s top athletes and gain some valuable experience in national competition. Eligibility for most T&F events in the league is from U17 and can therefore provide a great development opportunity if selected.
Sunday 2nd August 2015
This Sunday, 2nd. August 2015, will see the Kildare Athletics Women’s team contest the National League final in Tullamore. The team is essentially the group of athletes who have performed strongly in both the qualifying rounds and earned themselves a place in the top eight for the final of the premier div. This is the second year in succession that the team has made the finals and we wish them the very best of luck as they endeavor to equal, or better perhaps, the 3rd place finish in last year’s final. The team sheet can be seen below. All support for our county athletes will be greatly appreciated on Sunday.
Kildare Athletics Team Entry Women
National League Round 2, Sunday 19th July 2015, Morton Stadium, Santry
The second round of the National League will take place this coming Sunday, 19th July 2015, at Morton Stadium and will see both the county men’s and women’s team compete for a place in the final of the premier division in their respective leagues. The provisional list for both teams are attached below but subject to final confirmation by Sunday morning. This round is local and all support for our county athletes will help and be appreciated as they chase places in the final.
Kildare Men Declaration Sheet Round 2
Kildare Women Declaration Sheet Round 2
28th June 2014
7th June 2014
August 20th 2013
The Kildare men’s senior athletic team were crowned All Ireland division 1 league champions last Sunday after one of the closest finals in memory. For a Kildare team of any kind to make an all Ireland final is an achievement but to come out top of the pile after a gruelling day of competition is something to celebrate. To use an old cliche “youth and experience” this Kildare had both in spades. From champion thrower Kieron Stout to former international athlete David Mc Carthy to current world champion performer Paul Robinson to newer younger athletes who are just leaving the juvenile ranks this was a great day to be a Kildare athlete. Having qualified to the final in 2nd position the team were always in with a chance. But of the 10 teams who lined up in Sunday’s final a betting man would surely favour a Donore Harriers team who came into the final as hot favourites. Sligo County, Clare County and Limerick a/c all had strong squads with Sligo looking like making the Donore Harriers team work all the way to the finish.
Kildare started off in fine style with Nathan Murphy taking top points in the Walk. Two great performances by David McCarthy winning the 400m hurdles and 2nd in the 110m hurdles. He later on finished 4th in the Triple Jump. The team had big hopes in the 4×100 relay but a sluggish last changeover saw them finish 4th and a loss of a few points. However out in the field Kieron Stout was having one of his best days ever. He won the shot putt and came 2nd in the discus having led the competition right up to the last round. One of the younger athletes Conor Bracken Price showed nerves of steel after receiving a yellow card when he moved in the blocks. With the warning weighing on him he was a bit slow out of the blocks but came through in just 50 seconds to finish in 2nd place in the 400m. He followed up with 3rd in the 200m. Patrick Roche returned to the team from a spell abroad and ran a great 5k to finish 4th and Aston Farrell also 4th in his first attempt at the 3k steeple chase. Meanwhile at the field events Ikenna Ezeugo jumped great in the High Jump, having just been drafted in at the last moment. He came 5th in this and also competed in the long jump. Michael Jordan another of the younger athletes had another strong performance in the javelin to finish 6th. Kevin Kelly ran well in the 800m and 1500m. After the first half of the programme the team were lying 2nd a good way off Sligo with Limerick in 3rd at this stage. Ollie Back just back from Liverpool had a great run in the 100m to finish 2nd. A fantastic 3rd place by Michael Kenny in the 56lb weight and a strong performance by his father Mick Sr. in the Hammer saw the competition down to the wire. It was then that Kildare pulled out its ace in the form of current international Paul Robinson. Word around the track was that it was down to the final event the 4x400m relay. Winner takes all, Kildare or Sligo. Led off by David McCarthy he got the team off to a great start and handed over to Paul with a slight lead. As they pulled in off the stagger down the back straight the Sligo athlete was making a bit of ground on Paul. However his strength took over then and he handed over to Kevin Kelly with a lead of about 20m. Kevin ran a fantastic lap to give a lead of about 25m to the final athlete Conor Bracken Price. He should have been exhausted after running in 3 races already he did not show it and crossed the line to win, just one place ahead of Sligo. As the final tally was being done no one was prepared to call the final score so when the winners were announced it was jubilation all round for the Kildare team and supporters. They had won the title by 1.5 points, as close as it could be. Sligo 2nd and Donore Harriers some way off in 3rd. It was a fantastic day for the county athletes who have just come together for the National league about 5 years ago. The women’s team gained promotion 3 years ago and this was the first real attempt at putting out a full men’s team. The earlier rounds had seen a number of other athletes perform all who received senior medals on Sunday. Conor Murphy, Sean Flanagan, Andrew Smyth, Martin Horan, Anthony Fasole, Radek Ty, Danny Cahill, Simon Monroe and Lyle Hood were all members of this historic squad.
The women’s Kildare team were also in action on Sunday and their task was much more difficult than the men’s. They had gained promotion 3 years ago to the Premier division and for the first time since promotion they had made the national final. In against the big guns of athletics DSD, Leevale, Clonliffe Harriers and Ferrybank the team had some great performances. Unfortunately they had lost four of their key athletes due to World Championships Roseanne Galligan and injury Sandra Lawlor and holidays Niamh Field and Claire Mooney.It started well for the women as senior champion Sinead Burke destroyed the field in the walk to take top points. A 2nd place by Emer McCabe in the Triple Jump, 3rd by Kathryn Weir in the discus and Mairead Drewitt in the javelin were among the top scores on the day. In the middle distance Rachael Smyth, Emily Milner and Suzanne Quinn performed well as did sprinters Ciara Gallagher and Michelle O’Dea. Vivien Fleischer had won the national junior multi events last weekend was carrying a slight injury and was only able to compete in the high jump. Eileen Woods also jumped well in the long jump as did Pauline Kenny in the hammer. With an average age of 18 this team has loads of potential over the coming years and finished 7th on Sunday just behind Tir Chonaill and ahead of Galway county. In fact the women are the best of the county teams in the entire competition. The remainder of the squad were Niamh Burke, Caoimhe Whittaker, Vicky Taylor, Elaine Corrigan, Fiona Hill, Niamh Field and Sandra Lawlor.
July 17th 2013
Weekend athletics
St Cocas Paul Robinson was in action in Tampere in Finland at the European U23 Championships last week and it shows how far up the rankings he has come when he finished 4th in the 1500m final. After cruising through the heats on Saturday morning Paul had every reason to be confident going into Sunday afternoons final. He had been posting great results and improving his PB over the distance all season and had left no stone unturned in his preparation for this event. On the starting line with Paul were a number of other potential medalists and a great race was in prospect. After a slowish first lap the field was still bunched up and as they passed the 800m mark in just about 2.05 a fast finish was expected. Throughout the race Paul covered all the moves made by the other athletes and as they took the bell he was looking good in about 3rd place. Down the back straight the Belgian athlete who was favourite for the event struck for home and he was followed by the english athlete. All the while Paul looked like he was lining up to make his strike for gold but as they entered the home straight as Paul tried to make the move the pain was etched on his face as the fast finishing Frenchman just passed him out for the bronze medal. It was heartbreak for Paul but a fantastic display for the Kildare clubman. He was immediately distraught but received great support from his coach, his Irish team members and manager and of course his family who had travelled with him. A tweet by Sonia O’Sullivan summed up the mood after the race @PaulRob91 ps. Few good runners been 4th before not the end….just the beginning.
Meanwhile closer to home the two Kildare senior athletic teams were in action in Sligo at round 2 of the national league with qualification for the final the main aim. Going into the event the women were sitting nicely in 2nd place but knew that a good performance was needed by the team to secure the place. They were also in the premier division which included such heavyweights as DSD, Clonliffe Harriers, Ferrybank and Leevale. The young team really stepped up to the mark comfortably making the final after some stunning performances. Sandra Lawler got the ball running with an emphatic win in the hurdles and was followed a few minutes later by Sinead Burke who was equally impressive in the walk. Rachael Smyth smashed her PB in the 1500m to take 2nd place and Suzanne Quinn also 2nd in the 3k. Kathryn Weir 2nd in the discus and 3rd in the shot and Pauline Kenny 2nd hammer. Emer McCabe in the triple jump and 400m hurdles, Niamh Field in the 400m and Ciara Gallagher in the 200m all scored valuable points and multi eventer Vivien Fleischer scored in the high jump and the 100m. Field events were covered by Eileen Woods Long Jump and Elaine Corrigan the javelin and Vicky Kyne and Michelle O’Dea for the relays the team have easily qualified for the final in mid August.
The men’s team had a tougher assignment as they were in sixth place coming into Sunday with only the top 8 to qualify. They were competing in division 1. They had one trump card in the form of David McCarthy former international athlete and he certainly got the team off to a great start with wins in the 400m hurdles, the 400m, the 4×100 and 4×400 and 2nd in the triple jump. In fact it was wins all round for the team which apart from David has an average age of about 18 and shows a depth of talent in the county. Nathan Murphy in the Walk, Kevin Kelly 1500m, Martin Horan 3k s/c, Radek Tyburezy and Anthony Fasole and Conor Bracken Price in the Sprints and relays, Michael Kenny and his father Mick in the throws, Ikenna Jacob Long Jump and Neil Halsted in the High Jump. The team was completed by Michael Jordan who had a PB using the senior javelin and Sean Flanagan and Conor Murphy. Eleven wins in 15 events saw the team top the group and make the final easily in 2nd place overall. Great work by everyone over the past weeks and the focus now will be on the national final in Tullamore on August 18th.
Carmel Kelly