Tipperary talent shines bright during exciting National Indoor Championships weekend

The TUS Athlone International Arena played host to a thrilling weekend of athletics, as both the Athletics Ireland National U20 and U23 Indoor Championships and the National Masters Indoor Championships took centre stage.

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Plenty of emerging, young , Tipperary talent delivered outstanding performances across the board. The 60m saw Ronan Ryan (Nenagh Olympic A.C.) again proving he is one of the country's elite sprint prospects, clocking a blistering 6.92s in the U20 60m final to claim silver after a 6.97s heat.

Ryan carried that momentum into the 200m with a staggering 21.66s heat, before going on to win the final with a 21.72. Not far behind was Joe Burke (Templemore A.C.), who lit up the track with a 21.87s finish, while clubmate Cormac Healion impressed with a sharp 7.35s also in the 60m.

In the Women's 200m Kim Moloughney Faramaz had a good run in the one lap event with a time of 28.88s and Emily Davidson (Nenagh Olympic) recording 28.38s in the U23 200m heats.

In the 60m Hurdles Laura Frawley (Nenagh Olympic) blitzed it to take the gold medal with a fantastic 8.93s run. The 400m events saw Emer Brennan (Clonmel A.C.) earn a place in the U20 final with a fantastic new PB of 56.08s. Behind her, the future looks bright with Anna Paxman (Nenagh Oly) running a solid 58.8 and Leah Berry (Newport A.C.) who also had a PB in 60.52, a sub 60s is only around the corner for Leah.

Young Ella Ryan (64.09) and Olive Robinson (64.74), both Nenagh Olympic girls gained valuable experience on the national stage with very good runs.

In the Men's event, Mark Davidson (Nenagh Olympic) clocked a strong 52.48s, with Cian Hickey (Moyne A.C.) finishing in 55.70s.

Jennifer O’Leary (Nenagh Olympic) was part of a top class field in the U20 1500m, taking the bronze in a superb 4:29.47.
Jennifer was right in the mix into the latter stages of this race. Cian Hodgins (Nenagh Olympic) had a great new PB in the men’s 800m final with (1:54.66).

Conor Flaherty (Clonmel AC) took to the line in the 1500m and posted a solid (4:10.52), while Niamh Clarke (Clonmel AC) demonstrated great consistency again in the 3000m Walk, finishing in 16:20.44.
The field events saw Tipperary athletes reach the podium across multiple disciplines. Morgan Deasy (Borrisokane A.C.) secured a brilliant Gold Medal in the Weight for Distance with a best of 8.61m and a shot put of 11.62m.
In the Women's Shot Put, Niamh Madden (Nenagh Olympic) threw a great distance of 11.66m to claim a well-deserved U20 silver medal, joining clubmate Laura Frawley who took the U23 silver with 11.58m.
In the jumps, Laura Frawley (Nenagh Olympic) soared out to 5.80m to win the U23 Long Jump with Emma O’Neill (Carrick on Suir AC) taking the bronze with a 5.27m jump. Laura then went on to clear 1.60m in the High Jump, securing another podium spot.

In the U20 high jump, Cara Ryan (Clonmel AC) had a superb 1.63m to take the silver medal, with Niamh Madden clearing 1.45m for 6th place.

In the U20 long jump, Aine Frawley (Nenagh Olympic) jumped 5.41m for a brilliant 4th place finish, just 10cm off a medal.

The Triple Jump saw a fantastic dual performance from the county, with Clodagh Donohoe (Nenagh Olympic) hitting 10.57m and Sarah Bartley (Carrick-on-Suir A.C.) recording 10.46m. Meanwhile, Emily Davidson (Nenagh Olympic) displayed great courage again in the Pole Vault, clearing 2.00m to claim the U23 bronze medal.

Tipperary’s master athletes delivered a series of top-drawer performances at the National Masters Indoor Championships over the weekend, as the Premier County contingent proved that age is no barrier.

Bernadette Spillane (Moyne AC) was the star of the sprints, managing the task of three championship events in a single day. Her speed and endurance were on full display as she tackled the 60m, 200m, and 400m, securing podium finishes in two events and a 4th place in the W40 category. Spillane's tactical execution in the 400m was a particular highlight for Tipperary, where she clocked 64.82 to take the silver medal.

Thomas Maguire (Nenagh Olympic) showed explosive form in the 60m, finishing 2nd in 10.59. Mike Carroll Croome (Fethard AC) proved his versatility by competing across a wide spectrum of distances, lining up for the 60m and 200m before shifting gears for a gritty performance in the 3,000m.

The middle-distance events featured strong representation from several Tipperary stalwarts. Tony Fitzgerald (Nenagh Olympic) had a good 800m, finishing 5th in 2.15.56, before taking silver in the 1500m with a 4.46.

Noel Howley (Fethard AC) also took on the challenging 800m and 1500m double and then demonstrated his stamina by competing in the 3,000m. Noel medaled in all three events in the M75 category.

Michael Fitzgerald focused his efforts on a high-octane 400m, taking gold with a great time of 56.67 in the over 40s.
Willie O'Donoghue (Mooreabbey Milers) continued his rich vein of form in the 1500m and 3,000m events, building on a successful cross-country season earlier this year.

Noel Monteith (Borrisokane AC) took on the 60m sprint before heading to the runway for the Triple Jump. Monteith, who has previously set records in his age category, once again showed great technique in getting over 7m.

Ross Alexander (Coolquill AC) continued his great walking form to cover the 3k distance in 14.22.05, following on from his performance at the National Seniors earlier this season.

The day was rounded off with a solid performance from John Laste (Fethard AC), who took home gold in the M60 3k walk.

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