HIGHLIGHTS: A welcome return to competition! Eric Keogh broke 30 minutes to win the Dublin Open 10,000m track championships, with Lee Van Haeften 3^rd. Aoife Lynch took silver in the 100m sprint, with Paul McDermott narrowly edged out of bronze.

 

 

REPORT: We’re back! The last weekly report dated 8^th March 2020 highlighted the All Ireland Schools cross-country, the National Masters Indoors, the Intervarsities cross-country, the Bohermeen Half-Marathon and the Kinvara road races.

Now as the world, Ireland and sport tries to recover from the harsh, but necessary restrictions to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, we welcome the return to competitive athletics. The phase 3 return to normal society allowed the Dublin Athletics Board to host the DUBLIN OPEN GRADED TRACK MEET NO. 1 at Morton Stadium in Santry on the evening of 22^nd July 2020. In a normal season the Graded Series would have 8 events, but this was the first of 3 proposed fixtures.

Despite the limitations on the numbers of athletes and spectators the event was a major achievement that highlights the enthusiasm of volunteers and athletes to promote the sport at a grass-roots level in Ireland.

The performance of the evening came from Eric Keogh. The Donore Harriers athlete ran a scintillating 29.20.3 to emphatically win the 10,000m race, which incorporated the Dublin Open Championship. To put Keogh’s performance into context he lapped the whole field and his time was only bettered by four Irish athletes in the previous 4 years. It also ranks in the top 10 fastest 10km track times achieved on home soil.

In the same race Lee Van Haeften ran an excellent 31.04.8 to place 3^rd, in what was a keen contest for podium positions. Brian O’Kelly (31.01.3) of Crusaders AC edged home in runners-up spot, with Van Haeften holding off the challenge of Colin Maher (31.05.6) from Ballyfin AC. In the same race Danny O’Sullivan M35 (34.45.8) made his track debut and placed a respectable 17^th, and Des Tremble M45 (35.01.7) came 20^th.

In the Women’s 100m ‘A’ race, which also included the Dublin Open championship, Aoife Lynch (12.42) finished 2^nd behind Molly Scott (12.03) of St. Laurence O’Toole AC and ahead of Sarah McCarthy (12.50) of Mid Sutton AC.

In the Men’s 100m ‘A’ race 4^th placed Paul McDermott (11.06) was edged out of the bronze position by just two-hundredths of a second by Sean O’Driscoll (11.08) of Raheny Shamrocks. The race was won by Shane Howard (10.88) of Bandon AC, but McDermott had the satisfaction of finishing ahead of high-profile sprinters Marcus Lawlor of St. Laurence O’Toole AC and Mary Smyth of Raheny Shamrocks AC.

In the 1,500m races Emmet O’Briain M40 (4.17.6) placed 5^th in the B race, whilst David McConn (4.50.7) came 3^rd in the D race, with Tony Kynes M60 13^th in 5.28.2. It was Kynes’s first track race in 49 years!

In the FIGHTING COCKS 10km ROAD RACE at Rathoe in Co. Carlow on Saturday (25.07.2020) Ciaran Ryan placed 6^th in 35.33.

RESULTS IN BRIEF:

DUBLIN ATHLETICS BOARD OPEN GRADED MEETING, ‘A’ RACES INCORPORATED THE DUBLIN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, at SANTRY STADIUM (22.07.2020)

SENIOR WOMEN 100m ‘A’ RACE

2^nd Aoife Lynch (12.42) silver medal

SENIOR MEN 100m ‘A’ RACE

4^th Paul McDermott (11.06)

SENIOR MEN 1,500m ‘B’ RACE

5^th Emmet O’Briain M40 (4.17.6)

SENIOR MEN 1,500m ‘D’ RACE

3^rd David McConn (4.50.7)

13^th Tony Kynes M60 (5.28.2)

SENIOR MEN 10,000m ‘A’ RACE

1^st Eric Keogh (29.20.3 PB)

3^rd Lee Van Haeften (31.04.8 PB)

17^th Danny O’Sullivan M35 (34.45.8 track debut)

20^th Des Tremble M45 (35.01.6)

25 finishers

FIGHTING COCKS 10km ROAD RACE at RATHOE, CO. CARLOW (25.07.2020)

6^th Ciaran Ryan (35.33)

151 finishers