HIGHLIGHTS: Abdel Laadjel placed 6th in the EUROPEAN UNDER 20s CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS and led the Irish team to the silver medal position on the podium. Indoor season gets under way with NIA MEET ONE.
Nicholas Griggs and Dean Casey were the much-heralded stars of the Irish team prior to Sunday’s EUROPEAN UNDER 20 CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP race at the National Sports Campus at Abbotstown.
After 6 kilometres of a riveting contest over 4 laps a new rising star in Irish athletics had stamped his name for the attention of the wider media. Abdel Laadjel had just spearheaded the Irish team to silver medals after finishing a brilliant 6th in a field that included 3 European track champions and several national winners. The men’s Under 20 athletes were first into action in the 7-race EUROPEAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP programme. The field of almost one-hundred athletes faced a testing undulating course with one tight, muddy corner that required careful negotiation. The weather was cloudy, calm and mildly chilly. Laadjel made a conservative start, perhaps due to a stitch on the opening lap. He was 32nd after the opening 700 metres but moved up to 19th by the end of lap 1 and the 1,500m point. Casey (Ennis Track AC) in 8th and Griggs (Mid-Ulster AC) in 10th were the leading Irish athletes. At the halfway mark, at the end of lap 2, the Donore Harriers athlete had improved to 11th, with Griggs 9th and Casey 10th. With 3 to score the Irish trio were in contention for team gold with the strongest challengers coming from Team Great Britain, Norway, and a surprisingly good Israeli team,
The trio worked well together on lap 3 and reached the bell in 12th (Laadjel), 13th (Casey) and 14th (Griggs). At the front of the field Axel Vang Christensen of Denmark had opened a commanding lead that he extended to the finish line to win in 17.53, with Abdullah Rabi (18.18) of Norway the runner-up. Entering the final strait, Laadjel, a freshman at Providence University, was involved in a sprint melee for 5th place with 5 other athletes. He used his strength to progress to 6th position at the finish line in a time of 18.30. Both Casey (18.38) and Griggs (18.42) dug deep to finish in 13th and 16th respectively.
The Irish team closed on 35 points, just one point behind Team GB and two points ahead of Israel. Norway (42) came 4th of the 16 closing teams. The non-scoring members of the Irish team were Scott Fagan of Metro St. Brigid (21st in 18.49), Sean Kay of Clonliffe Harriers (50th in 19.22) and Cathal O’Reilly of Kilkenny City Harriers (77th in 20.01).
All the Irish lads, except for Sean Kay, are eligible for the Under 20 grade in 2022. Roll on Turin!
Laadjel said afterwards: “Yeah, I’m happy with that. I didn’t feel the best out there today – especially in the opening lap – I felt that I was getting a stitch – but overall, I am very happy with my run”.
There were plenty of plaudits and expressions of goodwill from the wider athletics community for Abdel after his outstanding race, including this one from Susan Walsh, coach at Crusaders AC: “Absolutely delighted for Abdel and Donore. Such a super performance. Didn’t get carried away at the start. Ran a fantastic, measured race and had a super finish. A class performance from a super Donore athlete”. He will next concentrate to the indoor season in the States.
The Irish indoor season kicked off with the NATIONAL INDOOR AREA MEET NO. 1 at Abbostown on Wednesday evening (08.12.2021).
Multi-eventer Lara O’Byrne was 1st in the opening heat of the 60m sprint in a time of 8.11. She also placed 2nd in the 60m Hurdles race in a PB time of 9.02.
Eva McPartlan came 4th in the 60m Hurdles in 9.34 – a personal best. McPartlan made it an encouraging evening for her development by also getting a PB in the 60m sprint when placing 4th in Heat 4 in 8.17.
400m Hurdles specialist Caoimhe Mackey came 2nd in Heat 2 of the 60m sprint in 8.08.
Michael McCarthy (senior) sprinted to 2nd in the opening heat of the men’s 60m in a time of 7.89.
Donal Iremonger, now competing in the M50 category, finished 2nd in Heat 2 of the Men’s Mile in 4.53.86. Kevin Nolan M35 was 11th in a competitive Heat 3 of the mile in 4.50.52. Dean Fullston M55 (2.47.95) came 5th in Heat 5 of the 800m.
Fergal Whitty, David McConn and Claire Mulligan were among the first finishers in this week’s 5KM PARKRUN events.
NOTE: Juvenile members Honor Lynch and Laura Nunan were volunteers at the EUROPEAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS and forwarded photos which gives us a glimpse into the background of what was a super occasion in Irish sport.
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SPAR EUROPEAN CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS at Abbotstown (12.12.2021)
MEN’S U/20: 6th Abdel Laadjel (18.30) – 97 finishers
TEAM: 1. GB&NI (34), 2. Ireland <Laadjel, Casey, Griggs> 35, 3. Israel 37. 16 teams closed.
NATIONAL INDOOR ARENA LIVE MEET (08.12.2021)
WOMEN’S 60m HURDLES: 2nd Lara O’Byrne (9.02 PB), 4th Eva McPartlan (9.34 PB)
WOMEN’S 60m SPRINT HEAT 1: 1st Lara O’Byrne (8.11)
WOMEN’S 60m SPRINT HEAT2: 2nd Caoimhe Mackey (8.08)
WOMEN’S 60m SPRINT HEAT 3: 4th Eva McPartlan (8.17 PB)
MEN’S 60m SPRINT HEAT 1: 2nd Michael McCarthy Sen (7.89)
WOMEN’S 400m HEAT 3: 1st Caoimhe Mackey (59.29)
MEN’S 800m HEAT 1: 5th Dean Fullston M55 (2.47.95)
MEN’S ONE-MILE HEAT 2: 2nd Donal Iremonger M50 (4.53.86)
MEN’S ONE-MILE HEAT 3: 11th Kevin Nolan M35 (4.50.52)
PARKRUNS 5km (11.12.21)
BUSHY PARK: 81st Thomas Halton M65 (33.37)
CASTLETOWN: 19th & 1st woman Claire Mulligan W40 (21.55), 62nd & 7th woman Joan McTernan W60 (27.33)
CORKAGH: 1st David McConn M35 (17.29)
HARTSTOWN: 1st Fergal Whitty M45 (17.50), 14th Mark Devine M45 (22.28)
MALAHIDE: 204th Angela O’Dea W35 (34.14)
NAAS: 42nd & 7th woman Mary McDermott W50 (24.01)
ROYAL CANAL KILCOCK: 73rd Anna McMahon W35 (33.13)
WATERSTOWN: 36th Andrew Maguire M50 (50.12)
