Breathnach throws life time’s best in capturing national indoor gold medal

SEAN Breathnach of GCH produced a record-breaking performance in the shot putt at the Woodie’s DIY National Senior Indoor Track and Field Championship in Athlone last Sunday

The Camus native threw a lifetime best of 17.14m, which was also a stadium record and places him fifth on the Irish all time indoor list, in capturing the gold medal.

The throw was almost half a metre ahad of his previous best and bodes well for a good season ahead for Breathnach.

Also at the games, Craughwell’s Cathriona Farrell won the high jump with 1.75m, while Mary Barrett Loughrea was third in the high jump (1.30m). She also set a new masters Irish record in the women’s shot W55 category, throwing 10.91m.

Meanwhile, the second round of the indoor national track and field league was held in Athlone IT on Saturday last and the Craughwell AC ladies team performed exceptionally well to score a total of 29 points.

This brought the team’s total points to 75.5 points after the two rounds of heats and leaves Craughwell in first place heading into the final on this Saturday, February 7.

Competing on the day for the team was Sinead Treacy (200m), Sinead Gaffney (400m), Ciara Greene (1500m), Aisling Keady Cummins (high jump) and Sarah Finnegan (triple jump). Craughwell will be hoping to put in another strong performance in the final and will start among the favourites along with Cork club, Leevale AC.

The National Masters and Intermediates All Ireland Cross Country Championships take place in the Palace Grounds, Tuam, on Sunday, February 8.

This will be run alongside the Juvenile Development events for U11-U17 athletes, and are the first National Cross Country Championships to be held in Galway since 1999. The event is set to attract almost 1,000 competitors and similar numbers will attend the venue in support of some of Ireland’s top cross country runners and upcoming juvenile athletes.

The programme includes Masters women and Over 65 men who run together at 1pm over 4km, Master Men Over 35-64 who run 7km at 1.30pm, intermediate women who run 5km at 2.10pm and the blue riband event, the intermediate men’s 8km which is off at 2.40pm.

Galway teams and individual athletes will have no shortage of motivation to aim for medals in front of the home crowd, and the Masters men’s Over 35 squad will be one tipped for team and possibly individual medals, with the likes of Matt Bidwell and Fintan Hyland of GCH, and Craughwell AC’s Peter O Sullivan expected to challenge for honours. GCH athletes Owen Byrne and Brian O’Connor will also be aiming for top 30 finishes.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.