Cléirigh Buttner and Veale prove to be in a class of their own

ATHLETICS:IF VICTORY margin was the first test of the proficiency at the Irish Schools Championships in Tullamore on Saturday then Síofra Cléirigh Buttner and Kate Veale were clearly in a class of their own.

Indeed the question wasn’t whether Cléirigh Buttner would win the intermediate girls 1,500 metres, but by how much. The answer: 27 seconds – or about half a lap. Her time of 4:29.83 was short of the now historic event record of 4:23.8 set by the equally precocious Carol Meagan, way back in 1978, and indeed short of the 4:28.10 Cléirigh Buttner ran to win the junior title last year, but it was nonetheless another breathtaking run by the 15-year-old from Coláiste Íosagáin.

Veale also came to Tullamore with a formidable reputation and didn’t disappoint, winning the senior girls 3,000m walk in 12:40.09, shearing an incredible 70 seconds off Ann Loughnane’s record, winning by almost a minute and a half – or about a full lap. That also earned Veale the Lar Byrne Memorial/Athlete of the Meet trophy.

Several other records went tumbling throughout the day, none more impressive than the front-running performance by Ruairí Finnegan in the intermediate boys 1,500m. Finnegan’s time of 3:55.22 bettered Adam Ingram’s record of 3:57.44 set last year, and makes him the latest talent to emerge from St Eunan’s in Letterkenny.

Unfortunately Finnegan’s schoolmate from St Eunan’s, Mark English, withdrew from the senior boys 800m (Dean Cronin of Coláiste an Phiarsaigh won in his absence), but the quality in the senior boys 1,500m made up for that: Tommy Casey from Sligo Grammar beat off an excellent field to claim a second successive title in 3:52.47, and received his medal from the former three-time World Indoor champion at the distance, Marcus O’Sullivan.

But it’s not always about margins of victory. Amy O’Donoghue from Villiers, Limerick, simply imposed unrivalled style and grace to win a senior 800m-1,500m double, winning the first gold in 2:13.61, and coming back two hours later to run 4:43.61.

O’Donoghue is the niece of another former World Indoor champion, Frank O’Mara, who twice struck gold over 3,000m.

Jake Byrne of Rochfort Bridge was a similarly impressive winner of the senior 5,000m in 15:07.85 – while back on the record front, Marco Pons of Wexford CBS broke Frank O’Brien’s 1983 record of 53.60m in the senior discus, throwing 54.17 metres, while Cara Kennedy of Waterford CFF threw 55.31 metres in the first round of the senior girls hammer to break Rachel Akers’ 2004 record of 52.91m.

Sprint doubles were coming thick and fast, including Gráinne Moynihan of St Mary’s, Macroom and Ciara Giles Doran of Mercy, Waterford, at intermediate level.

Marcus Lawlor of CBS Carlow won the intermediate 100m-200m double, and senior sprints went to Mark Kavanagh of Oatlands College, who took the 100m in 11.08 and the 200m in 22.20 to earn the title of fastest schoolboy in Ireland.

The Irish Schools can often be a family affair, as the Kiely twins proved, with Ben winning the senior 400m hurdles in 55.97 and sister Megan winning the senior girls 400m hurdles in 62.82 – while perhaps the performance of most courage came from 14-year-old Sinéad Burke, who won the junior 1,200m walk three months after having cardiac surgery.

Tullamore also marked a welcome return to competition for Ciara Mageean, who won the guest Irish Milers Club 800m in an impressive 2:04.72, leaving the 19-year-old with more than two seconds to spare from Ciara Everard.

It was Mageean’s first race since February when she was third in the 1,500m at the Irish Indoors, and puts her back on track for a good summer season.

In Oslo, Norway, Mary Cullen had to contend with surprisingly hot conditions at the European Cup 10,000m and finished a “disappointed” 11th in 33:02.77 – the winner being Sara Moreira of Portugal in 31.39.11. Gary Thorton finished 13th in the men’s B race in 30.42.99, while the heat proved too much for Joseph Sweeney and he failed to finish.

David Gillick also has plenty of sharpening to do as his opening 400m of the season in Clermont, Florida, on Saturday night ended in a pedestrian 46.90 seconds, only good enough for fifth place and giving Gillick plenty to work on ahead of Saturday’s Diamond League meeting in New York.

It was Gillick’s first outing since moving to the training group of top American sprinter Tyson Gay, although Gay had no such worries on Saturday, running a world-leading 9.79 seconds and indicating Usain Bolt will have a race on his hands this summer.