ATHLETICS IRISH SCHOOLS' CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHOOLING SESSIONFuture stars shine bright in Tullamore, writes
IAN O'RIORDANin Tullamore
NOTHING RESTORES the faith in athletics like a day at the Irish Schools' Championships in Tullamore - and no athlete was more impressive this year than Siofra Cleirigh Buttner. At age 14, Buttner has quickly made a name for herself as something of a schoolgirl phenomenon (she won the Irish junior cross country back in March, and was disqualified for being TOO young) but Saturday's performance was truly breathtaking - although in running a junior girls 1,500 metres record of 4:28.10 she hardly looked out of breath at all.
"Gracefulness," wrote Edmund Burke, "requires that there be no appearance of difficulty" - and the young Buttner is as graceful as they come; poetry in motion. She took off from the gun, ran seemingly effortlessly throughout, and arrived home almost half a lap clear of the rest - her time smashing the old record of 4:42.7, which had stood since 1985.
Actually, the second-year student from Coláiste Íosagáin in Dublin had just bettered the senior girls' record too - although that would go a short while later. When asked who her inspiration was Buttner mentioned Ciara Mageean, who as if on cue, came out and produced a similar gun-to-tape victory to lower that senior girls 1,500 metres record to 4:19.00, knocking over 11 seconds off Sinéad Delahunty's 1989 record.
It was that sort of day in Tullamore, the range of raw talent on display as remarkable as ever. There's no pressure to succeed here, no whispering of drugs or bickering about money, only the chance to be higher, stronger or faster than those who share the same ambitions.
After nine hours of non-stop running, jumping and throwing across 106 events, it all ended with the overwhelming feeling that Irish athletics is still spoiled with potential.
It marked Mageean's last race at schools' level and she left with a second successive athlete-of-the-meet award. The 18-year-old from Ballynahinch in Down also won by almost half a lap, and the only problem she has right now is deciding which US scholarship offer to take up with the likes of Villanova and Providence knocking.
"I feel bad because they keep ringing up and I have to tell them I am still undecided," she said. "I'm actually thinking I may take a gap year. I don't want to rush into anything."
She begins her A-level exams this week, and will next aim at the World Juniors in Canada next month, but whatever happens next for Mageean she's left behind a schools' record that will last for some time - or at least until Buttner has a go at it.
The title of fastest schoolboy in Ireland was claimed by Seye Ogunlewe, and it was no surprise to hear he models himself on a certain Usain Bolt. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ogunlewe left Lagos three years ago to attend King's Hospital, and a short while after that fell under the wing of sprint coach Des Doyle at Celbridge AC.
Now, if he gets his Irish passport as planned, he could be rewriting the Irish sprints records.
On Saturday he won the 100 and 200 metres with the minimal of fuss, clocking 11.02 for the 100 - although he has a best of 10.5:
"Usain definitely is a big inspiration," he said, pointing to his same orange Puma spikes that Bolt used to model.
"He's made sprinting so big now. I played a bit of rugby, soccer, tried the sprints and boom, I can do this."
At 6ft 3in - and still growing - and a powerful long stride, Ogunlewe may well be the future of Irish sprinting, and he too has all the qualities to make a real name for himself.
The perfectly still and warm conditions made sure records fell thick and fast, starting early on, when gifted walker Kate Veale from St Augustine's, Dungarvan, re-wrote her intermediate walk mark for the second year in a row, posting 8:26.20.
Katie Kirk from Sullivan Upper in Down set a new record in the inter 300 metres, winning in a brilliant 38.55, inside the 39.19 Joanna Mills set two years ago.
Mills may have lost her old record there, but got some consolation when winning three gold medals in the senior girls: her 5.99 metres leap won her the long jump, and Mills was soon back on the winner's rostrum after victory in the senior 400 metres in a time of 55.69, in what was actually only her third ever 400-metre race. She then won her third gold medal in the 100 metres relay to round off an exceptional afternoon.
Mark English underlined his recent qualification for the World Youth Olympics with a comfortable win in the senior boys 800 metres, the St Eunan's student clocking 1:53.31. Adam Ingram from Hazelwood College won the intermediate 1,500 metres, just about, when he outsprinted Ruairi Finnegan, also from St Eunan's, to win in 3:57.44 - equalling the 12-year-old record in the process
Patrick Maher from Mallow easily won the senior 400 metre hurdles in the 52.80, and later set a best of 48.99 in the 400 metres flat, but this time had to settle for third before Tim Crowe from Limerick TC, who executed a brilliantly-timed race, from lane seven, to win in 48.58.
For every moment of ecstasy there was one of agony, such as the finish of the senior girls' 800 metres, when Niamh Kearney of Loreto, Dalkey, was surging for the gold medal, only to stumble and fall a few yards short of the line. She struggled to her feet to finish fourth - as Harriet Flynn swept past to win the gold medal in 2:14.35. There was some class sprint hurdling on show, with Edmond O'Halloran from Rochestown College winning the 110 metres hurdles in 14.54 (no surprise he comes from the same small stables as Derval O'Rourke) and Andrew Creamer taking the junior boys hurdles for St Patrick's, Cavan.
