Two gold's in the National U/23 and One gold in the National Junior T&F

[Sean McGoldrick]The club’s burgeoning strength in middle distance running was emphasised onSunday when Raheny runners captured three gold and two silver medals at the AAI National junior and U-23 T&F championships in Tullamore.

We also had two fourth places in finals and several runners posted personal best times. Pride of place, however, goes to our three gold medallists, Daire Birmingham, Richie Corcoran and Mick Clohisey.

Daire followed up on his All-Ireland schools’ success in the 1500m when he won the junior metric mile in 3:56.55.

In the U-23 1500m, two Raheny runners, Richie Corcoran, home on summer holidays from Villanova University, and the club’s newest Irish senior international Mark Kirwan battled it out for the gold. Richie prevailed in a time of 3:53.56 with Mark, a student in Trinity College, taking the silver in 3:55.

In the U-23 5,000m there was another fascinating battle between the home based talent in the shape of Mick Clohisey and Liam Halloran against Richie Yeates, who is on scholarship in Providence College, Rhode Island.

Mick is in sparkling form all season and he took gold in a time of 14.46.6.
Richie was just squeezed out of the medals finishing fourth in 15.05 while Liam clocked 15.28.

In the women’s U-23 5000m there were three Raheny women in the top five. Fiona McGreevy won the silver medal; Catriona Hooper was fourth and Aoife Talty was fifth.

In the junior 1500m Dave Rooney posted a personal best (4.14) while Carl O’Sullivan ran 4.34. His twin sister Jenny ran a personal best of 5.03 in the junior 1500m and Eoin King’s 1.58.65 was also a PB in the 800m.

Meanwhile on the roads Dara O’Kearney was 5th (1.24) in the Achill half marathon. The club had a big contingent of members in action in the annual Rathfarnham 5k race.

Ian Chaney (15.30) led them following by Bernard Roe (15.50), Bernard Lynch (17.22), Chris Keeling (18.05), Dave Hooper (18.12), Simon Reede and Dave Brady. The women’s team of Brid Ni Chonail, Susan Byrne and Anne Marie Hickey finished third in the senior women’s team event.