14-05-2025
Killarney Valley and Gneeveguilla AC dominate Kerry relay championships
Killarney Valley AC let loose in these championships, winning the Quill Cup as best men's senior club, the Chriss O'Shea Cup for best women's club, and the best all-round cup as top juvenile club.
Another special feature of the championships was the 50th appearance of Tralee Harriers' Patsy O'Connor in a county senior athletics championships. The Tralee Harriers man threw the senior javelin 28.32m to win the silver medal in the afternoon on Sunday.
Patsy first competed in 1975 in the javelin event in Sneem after discovering that there was no javelin available at the county championships proper in Cordal, but the event was later staged in the South Kerry venue. Patsy borrowed a javelin from the legendary Eddie Mulcahy of Sneem and the rest is history.
Another feature was the presence of 89-year-old Paddy O'Donoghue of Gneeveguilla AC who medalled in the discus, shot and weight-for-distance. His incredible career as athlete and official knows no bounds and he is an inspiration to all.
Another much-valued cup – the Eileen O'Riordan Cup that commemorates the late Gneeveguilla athlete who was an expert in the event – was on offer to the best weight-for-distance woman thrower at the championships.
The cup was won by Sheila O'Donoghue from Gneeveguilla who won the gold medal in the masters' WFD with a record throw of 7.06m, which will be a national W55 record when ratified. The fact that the Gneeveguilla supremo pulled a hamstring in achieving the huge throw did not deter Sheila from staying on to accept yet another cup – the Patick O'Riordan Cup for best masters club at the championships. That cup commemorates the late St Brendan's AC athlete and Kerry Athletics official who passed away just a year ago.
Tralee Harriers also collected a cup for the brilliant win by their U14 girls in the juvenile relays. They collected the Mary Lucey Cup as gold medallists in that U14 4 x 100m relay in a CBP time of 54.73.
Mary Lucey was a Glenflesk athlete who had a successful career as a sprinter some years ago and the cup was subsequently presented by Gneeveguilla to the county board for best U14 girls relay team at the county championships.
Senior Championships
The senior championships were strengthened by a band of teen and just-older athletes who have a high level of talent in a variety of disciplines. Killarney Valley's three men's relay teams came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the senior 4 x100m final. Their women did the same in the women's 4 x 100m final.
While Gneeveguilla and other clubs did well in the throws, Killarney Valley AC cleaned up in the men's jumps, winning high and long jumps commandingly, with their male athletes coming in 1, 2 and 3 in the long jump and taking gold and silver in the high jump.
Elsewhere, clubs were able to grab whatever medals escaped the Killarney squad. Kevin O'Shea (FFMV) was outstanding in the javelin, despite throwing the heavier 800g rather than the lighter javelin which he threw to a 54m CBP in the North Munster Schools Championships on Thursday last. Teen Kevin flung the 800g version beyond all-comers on Sunday, reaching 47.53m despite a gusting breeze. Podiums ahead for Kevin.
In the senior women's race walk, Lúsaí de Faoite of Kenmare flew to a fast 16:23.10 in the 3K final to claim the gold medal while US scholarship-bound Mollie O'Riordan (KVAC) was impressive in winning the 400m in 59.10 seconds.
Kerry Athletics Championships results
Senior Women
100m: 1 Keelie O'Connor (KV) 12.61. 2 Megan Lynch (LT) 12.82 3 Maddie O'Riordan (KVAC) 13.16
200m: 1 Keelie O'Connor (KV) 26.01. 2 Maddie O'Riordan KV) 27.42. 3 Nell Thompson (KV) 28.94
400m: 1 Mollie O'Riordan (KV) 59.1. 2 Clara Daly (Iv) 61.1. 3 Megan O'Reilly (KV) 63.44
800m: 1 Maria Murnane (KV) 2:21.19. 2 Jule Koller (LT) 2:46.47. 3 Ava Brosnan (R) 2:47.47
3,000m: 1 Maria Murnane (KV) 10:46.22. 2 Abby Stephenson (TH) 10:47.69. 3 Cara Leahy (LT) 11:23.63
3,000m racewalk: Lúsaí de Faoite (K) 16:23
4 x 100m: KV A 51.27. 2 KV B 53.29. 3 KV C 50.90
Hammer: 1 Máiréad O'Neill (GG) 50.72m
Long jump: 1 Rachel Bowler (TH) 5.10m. 2 Antonya Lejwoda (KV) 4.84m. 3 Natasha Myers (FFMV) 4.47m
WFD: 1 Máiréad O'Neill (GG) 7.03m. 2 Heather McCarthy (GG) 5.96m. 3 Aoibhinn Harte (LT) 5.52m
Shot: 1. Lidia Salazar (St B). 2 Heather McCarthy (GG). 3 Sophie Norris (St B)
Javelin: 1 Taesha Verasoo (KV) 27.56m. 2 Abby Littlejohn (K) 14.58m. 3 Lidia Salazar (St B) 14.34m
High jump: 1 Antonya Lejwoda (KV) 1.30m. 2 Maddie O'Riordan (KV) 1.25m. 3 Taesha Verasoo (KV) 1.20m
Senior Men
200m: 1 Brendan O'Leary (LT) 22.83. 2 Oisín O'Regan (KV) 24.37. 3 Derek Pyne (KV) 25.71
400m: 1 Lamine Diarrassouba (Dooneen) Guest 50.95. 2. Dion Marcos (R) 52.45. 3. Oisín O'Regan (KV) 54.04
800m: 1. Conor Kissane (KV) 2:02.36. 2. Darren Kenny (St Br) 2:56.45
3,000m: 1 Conor Kissane (KV) 9:03.18. 2 Karl James O'Neill (KV) 9:15.88. 3 James Dillon (LT)
4 x 100m relay: KV A 47.91 secs. 2 KV B 48.12. 3 KV C 49.20
Hammer: 1. Tomás O'Neill (GG) 41.76m. 2 Micheál Ó Néill (GG) 40.48m
Discus: 1 Alan O'Connor (TH) 40.45m. 2 Pádraig McCarthy (LT) 32.37m. 3 TomásÓ Néill (GG) 29.30m
Long Jump: 1 Dara Looney (KV) 6.38m. 2 Dominik Wasila (KV) 6.22m. 3. Derek Pyne (KV) 5.53m
WFD: 1 Alan O'Connor (TH) 5.76m. 2 Pádraig McCarthy (LT) 5.29m
Shot: 1 Alan O'Connor (TH) 11.56m. 2 Jordan Lee (KV) 9.49m. 3 Jason Roche (TH) 8.80m
Javelin: 1 Kevin O'Shea (FFMV) 47.53m. 2 Patsy O'Connor (TH) 28.32m. 3 Finn Moloney (KV) 24.76m
High Jump: 1 Alan Delaney (KV) 1.75m. 2 Bartlomiej Zglinski (KV) 1.75m. 3 David Watson (KV) 1.65m
Athletics news
There was good news for US scholarship holder Oisín Lynch (Killarney Valley AC and Adams State University) as he broke 1:50 for the 800m for the first time at the weekend. Running in the Franson Meet in California, Oisín clocked 1:49.98 (PB) when finishing fourth in the race.
In the Irish Milers Meet in Belfast, Mollie O'Riordan (Killarney Valley AC) ran a PB of 2:18.38 for the 800m ,which is also a club record.
Jack O'Leary (Killarney Valley AC) clocked 1:51.01 for his 800m at the same meet.
Oisín Murray (Riocht) ran a PB of 3:45.6 for the International 1,500m also at the same meet in Belfast, finishing 9th in a top-class field.
