Strong Tipperary and Nenagh athletics teams aim for National League glory

One of the most exciting events in the Irish Athletics Calendar takes place next Sunday, 13th August in Tullamore with the final of the Track & Field National League.

The Tipperary ladies athletics team are in the final and are one of the fancied teams to lift the title of Premier National League County champions. The event will have an extra element of intrigue this year with their main rivals being the Galway and Kildare teams and there is very little to separate the three teams when they met in the past.

The Tipp/Galway rivalry may be over for this year in the men’s hurling but is very much alive in the ladies track and field. Also included in the final will be a highly rated Kildare team together with Louth, Sligo, Cork, and Monaghan.

Many of Tipperary’s brightest stars in ladies track and field will be hoping to shine as they compete for their county wearing the iconic blue and gold colours.

Katie Bergin from Moyne AC will be one to watch in the ladies 100m and 200m. Katie is the National U23 100m and Senior 200m champion in a super-fast time of 12.09 and 24.40 seconds. She also took the silver medal in the 200m National U23 Championships in a time of 24.88. Katie will also run the anchor leg of the 4 x100m relay for the county, a busy day for the 21-year-old National Senior champion.

Jennifer O’Leary from Nenagh Olympic AC will be representing Tipperary in both the 800m and 1500m. Jennifer, who attends St Mary’s Secondary School in Nenagh has just returned from her exploits in Scotland where she represented Ireland with great distinction in the SIAB Schools International. Jennifer also secured silver at the National Under 17 1500m Championships, losing out by the narrowest of margins.

Dymphna Ryan from Dundrum AC will be competing in the 3000m for Tipperary and will be hoping for a good result to cap off what is an excellent year whereby she represented Ireland in the Nations League Cross Country earlier in the season. Dympna will be competing at National Masters on Saturday also in Tullamore.

Sharon Cantwell from Moyne AC took secured nine points this time last year in the National League final 3000m Steeplechase event in a good time of 11:59.31 minutes and will be hoping to produce a similar performance this weekend.

Rachel O’Shea from Carrick-On-Suir AC is representing Tipperary in the 100m Hurdles. Rachel ran an earlier round in the very fast time of 18.79 seconds in what were wet and slippery conditions and if weather conditions allow will be hoping to improve on that time.

Lorna O’Shea from Carrick-On-Suir AC is Rachel’s sister and will be competing in the 400m Hurdles. Lorna has won many national medals at under age and has come very close to running a sub sixty seconds for this event.

Emily Davidson from Nenagh Olympic AC will be representing her county in the 4x100m relay and is a successful sprinter and long jumper in her age category at County, Munster, and National level.

Lucy Fitzgerald from Tipperary Town AC will also be representing her county in the 4x100m relay. Lucy has won National Triple Jump titles at U16 & U17 outdoors and U18 Indoors over the last number of years.

Emma O’Neil from Carrick-On-Suir AC who is competing in the Triple Jump will be expected to be in the mix. Emma is in excellent form after been recently crowned National U19 Long Jump champion with a new personal best of 5.62m. Emma will also be competing in a leg of the 4x100m relay.

Jodie McGrath from Nenagh Olympic AC will be representing Tipperary in the Pole Vault and looks to be the lead contender. Jodie is an accomplished Pole Vaulter and has won national titles at both club and schools under age levels.

Grace Fitzgerald Tipperary Town AC will be representing Tipperary in the Long Jump and will be the favourite to win the nine points here. Fresh from winning bronze in the Triple Jump at National Senior Championships two weeks ago, Grace can bring this form to League Final. In the 2022 outdoor season, she achieved what is likely to be a first at National level in winning both the U19 Long Jump and Triple Jump and following it up by winning both again at the Junior U20 level all in the same season, culminating in four National jump titles.

Clodagh Donohoe from Newport AC will be representing Tipperary in the High Jump. Clodagh is 2023 National U17 Silver medallist for the High Jump with a personal best of 1.60m and represented Ireland at the SIAB Schools International in Scotland recently. Kaley Cozens from Templemore AC will be hoping for a big performance representing the county in the Hammer. Kaley had an exceptional year cumulating in two silver medals in the U19 National Championships in both the Hammer and Javelin.

Jade Barry from Carrick-On-Suir AC will be representing the county in the Javelin. Jade took first place in the event in the previous round and was also a medallist in the National U18 Championships with a throw of 35.25 metres.

Margaret Mary Grace of Nenagh Olympic AC and Eimear Lynch of Newport AC, both stalwarts of the Tipperary track and field team for a number of years, competed in round 1 of the 4x400m relay. Both Margaret Mary and Eimear together with Sophie Walker and Ava Palmer both from Newport AC had fine performances in this event. Margaret Mary will also be going in the 1.5k walk an event she participated in at junior and juvenile level.

Other team members who contributed greatly to the team’s performance in round 1 included Miriam Daly of Carrick-On-Suir AC who unfortunately is out injured and will be a huge loss. Miriam, who ran the very fast time of 54.51 seconds to win the 400m event in preliminary round, likewise Niamh Cunneen of Nenagh Olympic in the 3000m is very doubtful for Sunday with injury, having secured valuable points in preliminary round. A rejig of middle distance may be forced on the team.

Fiona Hennessy of Templemore AC takes on the Weight for Distance (WFD) 12.7kg throwing event. Fiona is an accomplished thrower, competing at national senior level in Hammer and Shot Putt. Fiona is coached by John O'Dwyer, a national senior champion a couple of weeks back.

In all, Tipperary will have athletes competing in all 21 athletic events.

The scoring system is nine points for a win, seven for second and so on down to one. Team Manager Martin Flynn and assistant Eamon Fitzgerald have assembled a very competitive team that should be vying for top spot come Sunday evening but will have to overcome a huge challenge from Galway and Kildare to secure the title.

Sharlene Mawdsley of Newport AC would have been an automatic choice on the team but is otherwise engaged with a little matter of World Athletic Championships in Budapest in a couple of weeks running the 400m and 400m relay.

Men

Nenagh Olympic AC go into the final round of the Men’s National League in third place following the preliminary round in June. They are on 193 points, behind Clonliffe Harriers on 221 and Leevale AC on 214. Templemore AC are also represented, and they lie in thirteenth place going into Sunday’s events.