FOLLOWING a nervous wait, St Michael’s AC athlete Frank Buchanan was named as part of a 39 strong Irish Squad that was selected for the European Junior Championships which take place in Tampere, Finland from 7-12 August. As with all athletes such an achievement cannot be attained without a team and Frank was keen to acknowledge this.
“I’m delighted, it was a nervous wait as you can not take anything for granted despite having the required two B standards set by Athletics Ireland. The whole season was geared toward making these Championships, so now I can focus on the preparation to face the best in Europe in the heat of the 1500m which takes place during the morning session of day two on August 8th.
“Getting to this stage takes time and investment and not just from me the young St Michael’s AC athlete stated. From starting in the sport I’ve been blessed with the guidance of great coaches firstly in my early days from Eamon Monaghan in Enniskillen Running Club, then when I moved to St Michael’s College Francie Shaw continued to progress and enhance my running ability and over the past few months I’ve been working with Mark Kirks group which has also added to the mix,” stated Buchanan.
He continied: “It’s a process and each of these three men must take the recognition for getting me to this level.”
Frank concluded by thanking his parents. “They have invested the time and money to give me the best opportunity to fulfil my potential and hopefully I can do them and all who have guided me along the way to this stage proud when I step onto the track at the championships in a few weeks’ time.”
Meanwhile the highlight of another superb performance in the W60 Pentathlon Championships which were held in the beautiful surroundings of the Carlow Campus of the Southeast Technological University on Saturday was the record-breaking performance of Tina Gallagher in the 80m Hurdles.
The Oisin McGrath athlete set an age group record of 14.79 which set her up nicely for the remainder of the competition where she went on to record
On Sunday Gallagher returned to compete in the 300m Hurdles which was a National Masters Championship event. The Belcoo woman had a great battle with Niamh McGuire of Rathkenny who is a W55 athlete, and in a close finish it was McGuire who just held on for the win.
National Masters Championships
Four local athletes travelled to Tullamore for the 123.ie Irish Masters Championships on Saturday and between them took home six national titles.
Tina Gallagher likes to keep herself busy at any championships she attends, and Saturday proved no different. The Belcoo lady built on her success from the previous weekend in Carlow by taking home another three Gold Medals. She got the ball rolling early in the day recording a season’s best in winning the W60 100m comfortably in 14.68.
In the afternoon her two remaining events overlapped with her first throw of 19.22 enough to secure the win before skipping across to the track for the 80m Hurdles where she put in a fine display to record her fourth win of the championships in a time of 14.86 just shy of her national age group a week earlier.
Helen Gilmour was one of five competitors across the age groups that contested the Women’s 3000m Walk, the Enniskillen Running Club athlete finished in a time of 22.10.77 which saw her take the W65 title.
Conan Mc Caughey continued his rich vein of form of late as he added the National Men’s Over 35 5000m to the Ulster & Northern Ireland Senior 10000m in early June. The Lisnaskea resident set his stall out from the start going through the first kilometre in 3.02. Each Kilometre was metronomic as Conan went on to record a comfortable victory in 15.12.94 almost twenty seconds ahead of North Belfast clubmate John Black with Anthony Mannix of Cork Track Club just behind in third.
Denise Toner was the final of the quartet to take to the track, going in the 1500m. The Clones athlete is just beginning her track season with her target being the European Masters Championships which this year take place in Madeira in early October.
The Knocks woman adopted similar tactics to that in Championships twelve months ago, taking the race on from the gun. She clicked off the laps looking very comfortable to record victory in 4.47.81.