Future stars turn on the style

ATHLETICS/Irish Schools championships: The Irish Schools championships are like a giant crystal ball where we can look into the future of athletics. Somewhere in there are the names that will represent us on the world stage: perhaps sprinter Jason Smyth or 800-metre runner David McCarthy.

Maybe record breakers Kelly Proper in the long jump or Brian Gregan in the 400 metres - all serious athletes by any standards.

More on them later. What made Saturday in Tullamore particularly special - beyond the heavenly sunshine - was the presence of three greats of Irish athletes who took their first steps to stardom on the schools stage. Sonia O'Sullivan was back at the event for the first time since winning here in 1987. Eamonn Coghlan was here to see his son John in the senior boys' 1,500 metres, and Marcus O'Sullivan - now head coach at Villanova University (the alma mater of all three) - was back home to do a little "recruiting".

With those three trackside it was like going back to the future. O'Sullivan's presence had added meaning as she is now coming to the end of a great career. As she helped present the medals over several hours it was clear her iconic status remains perfectly intact, at least among the younger generation. Race numbers had to be autographed and camera phones were working overtime.

O'Sullivan has helped all these younger athletes to dream big. It will take an exceptional talent to follow in her footsteps, but once again the day-long event in Tullamore threw up lots of exciting prospects, and not just in distance-running terms.

The record-breaking started early in the morning with Kelly Proper of St Paul's Waterford in the senior girls' long jump.

Her target was the 20-year-old schools record of 5.82 metres held by Terri Horgan, and Proper surpassed that with a brilliant jump of 6.08 metres in her final attempt - which also beat her own Irish junior record of six metres even.

On the track, David McCarthy had another long-standing record in mind when he lined up for the senior boys' 800 metres - the 1:51.1 clocked by Seán O'Neill back in 1981. McCarthy tore into the first lap, passing 400 metres in 53.9, and clearly in a class of his own. That makes for hard running, though, and he tired a little in the finishing straight to win in 1:52.88.

But the 17-year-old from St Augustine's Dungarvan is back again next year and promises to make that record his before he ends his remarkable schoolboy career.

Jason Smyth from Limavady has already been documented as the future of Irish sprinting, and he ended his schools career in typically impressive style with another 100-200-metre double. Smyth looks the part physically, with the mental attitude to go with it, and having filled out notably over the past 12 months he can look forward to an exciting career.

Smyth's visual impairment has also been documented but that's no barrier to his talent. He first took the 200 metres in 21.96 and then the 100 in 11.0 - both run into a slight headwind.

But arguably the performance of the day came from 16-year-old Brian Gregan from St Mark's Tallaght in the intermediate boys' 400 metres. Gregan's talent was only recently spotted and originally the 400-metre hurdles looked to be his event.

Someone then realised the hurdles were really only getting in his way, so he switched to the 400 flat, and that's proved an inspired move.

Having run 49.60 in the lashing rain to win the Leinster title, Gregan was fancied to challenge the schools record of 49.1 set away back in 1980 by Commonwealth Games medallist Phillip Beattie. Instead Gregan smashed that record, running a superb 48.65 to easily claim his first schools title.

What made his run even more remarkable was that he appeared to have more in the tank - and that's the kind of potential that deserves careful nurturing.

The records continued to fall throughout the afternoon, including Charlotte Ffrench-O'Carroll of Loreto Stephen's Green in the intermediate 3,000 metres. She knocked eight seconds off the previous mark with her 9:50.08, faster than the current senior record. Her twin, Rebecca, took second in 10:34.08.

The most exciting double of the day went to Niall Tuohy, who won the intermediate 800 and 1,500 metres - hard going in the conditions.

The senior boys' 1,500 metres was billed as a rematch between John Coghlan and his Leinster rival Daire Bermingham, but Bermingham was determined to burn off Coghlan's kick, which he duly did, winning in 3:55.17 - with Coghlan third in 4:01.61.

Two other exciting distance prospects are Sarah Treacy, who dominated the senior girls' 1,500 metres, and Brendan O'Neill, who did likewise in the senior boys' 5,000 metres. Having run the longest race of the day - 12 and half laps in scorching heat - O'Neill could afford to collapse on the infield afterwards. Although that was probably more from relief than exhaustion. Even at this level there is great pressure to succeed.