LAURA Nicholson lived up to her billing as favourite to capture her first senior national title at the 123.ie National Senior Track and Field Championships.
Dominating the women’s 1500m at the Morton Stadium on Sunday, the Ballinascarthy woman (24) led from the start to win in style, coming home in 4:13.32, ahead of Zoe Toland (4:15.11) and Niamh Carr (4:16.08).
‘She ran the perfect race,’ Irish athletics legend Sonia O’Sullivan said, highlighting the importance of the result in Nicholson’s bid to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo next month.
‘Laura needed to win the championship and run a decent time because Laura is not a million miles away from getting into the rankings for the world championships. She has been knocking on the door.’
Nicholson, fresh from competing at the World University Games in Germany, is coming off the back of an impressive season with the University of Toledo in Ohio. She has brought that form home to Ireland.
‘I’m so happy, it’s my first national seniors,’ the Bandon AC star said.
‘That was the plan: go to the front and hammer it a small bit.
‘I have the B standard twice but am a small bit out of the quota – my idea today was to try and run fast and get a few points towards Tokyo. That’s the goal.’
Nicholson wasn’t the only Bandon AC athlete to win national gold, as Nicola Tuthill – in her UCD AC colours – won her FOURTH senior women’s hammer throw title. She’s still only 21 years old. Tuthill was the class act in the field, and won in style: the Kilbrittain woman threw a new personal best of 71.75m in her final throw, and that’s also a new Irish U23 record. Tuthill also saw three of her throws fly beyond the 70-metre mark.
5000m bronze medallist Fiona Everard.
Enniskeane’s Fiona Everard also brought another national senior medal home to Bandon AC after she won bronze in the women’s 5000m final on Sunday. Everard, finishing in 16:04.36, completed a Cork one-two-three after Leevale’s Niamh Allen won, followed by clubmate Anika Thompson.
Doheny AC’s Maeve O’Neill was celebrating her first senior national championship medal after her late, late burst earned the Ballinacarriga native a brilliant bronze in an epic women’s 800m final. The 21-year-old West Cork woman timed her run to win bronze in 2:04.69, just behind winner Alex O’Neill (Limerick Track AC) in 2:04.53 and Sarah Healy (UCD AC) in second in 2:04.57.
Maeve O'Neill celebrates her 800m bronze medal with her parents.
Also, Darragh McElhinney has been in top form in recent months, and dipped down to the 1500m last weekend. The Bantry AC athlete finished fourth in a top-class final, his time of 3:54.42 just behind Cathal Doyle (3:53.60), Andrew Coscoran (3:53.84) and Nick Griggs (3:53.90). McElhinney, though, could claim to have the most stylish vest of the national championships, as his Bantry AC top caught the eye – it originally belonged to Pádraig Cremin, who represented Bantry in the 400m over 20 years ago!
Darragh’s older brother Eoghan finished tenth in the men’s 5000m final.
Also, Irish sprinting royalty Phil Healy wasn’t able to add to her incredible record haul – the nine-time outdoor gold medallist finished sixth in the women’s 400m, in 54.58. Her Ireland relay team-mate Sophie Becker won in 52.87.
In the women’s javelin, Caheragh teenager Katie Kingston (Leevale AC) threw a personal best of 39.88m as she finished in fourth place.
