Sarah Healy Wins Gold And Team Ireland In Top Form

Team Ireland are in action at the European U18 Championships, with some of the best young talent the country has to offer in attendance. The Championships began on Thursday, 5th July and will take place until Sunday, with success already as Sarah Healy wins gold. The squad competing include:

Sarah Healy (Blackrock AC) put in one of the best performances the European Championships has seen in many years, as she took home gold in the 3000m on Friday. The 17 year-old sensation looked incredibly calm and composed in the early parts of the race, before she began to put increasing distance between herself and the rest of the field.
Having raced earlier in the day in the 1500m heats, victorious in her heat running 4:30.19, Sarah stunned the crowd as she took home gold with a new 3000m Championship Record of 9:18.05. Healy who has been breaking all kinds of records in recent weeks, is now the number one ranked European U18 in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m - a phenomenal achievement for the young Irish athlete.

It's gold for Ireland in the 3000m!

Sarah Healy produced a final kilometre of 2:57 to win the 3000m title at the European U18 Championships in a championship record of 9:18.05. pic.twitter.com/KvbJX22X4E

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 6, 2018

Patience Jumbo-Gula (St Gerard's Dundalk) impressed on day one of the four-day championships in Gyor, as she ran a remarkable 100m in the semi-finals. Patience clocked a Championship Record with 11.59. Heading into the final on as the number one ranked European U18, it wasn't the day for Patience as a disappointing start hampered any chance of gold.
Despite remarkably pulling things back in the latter half of the race, Patience came in 5th with a time of 11.87. With the medley relay still to come, there are high hopes for this rising star in Irish athletics. Here is Patience speaking after her new record.

Championship record for Patience Jumbo-Gula with 11.59 to win her 100m semi! pic.twitter.com/pBg7oYtXjJ

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) July 5, 2018

Thursday also saw Sophie O'Sullivan make her debut in the green vest as she won her 800m heat in 2.12.23, securing automatic qualification for the semi-finals. Metro St. Brigids' Molly Brown was narrowly missed a place in the semi-final as she finished fourth in her heat in 2:16.94.
On Friday, Sophie cemented her place in the final as she finished 2nd in 2:07.95.  The final will take place at 20:18pm Irish-time and can be seen on Eurosport 2.

How about that for a championship debut?

Sophie O'Sullivan, daughter of 1998 European 5000m and 10,000m champion Sonia O'Sullivan, won the second heat of the 800m at the European U18 Championships. pic.twitter.com/EHD30KaGFR

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) July 5, 2018

Sarah Glennon of Mullingar Harriers AC and Emily MacHugh of Naas AC got team Ireland underway on Thursday as they competed in the girls' 5km race walk. Sarah finished in a time of 25:36.73 which placed her 12th, whilst Emily was unfortunately disqualified from the event.
Sophie Meredith (St Mary's) and Ruby Millet (St Abban's) competed in the long jump on day one. Sophie finished 15th with a new best of 5.79m whilst Ruby placed 17th also with a best jump of 5.63m. A good experience for both the talented athletes.
15 year-old Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght) qualified for the 200m semi-finals as she ran 23.90 in her heat in Lane 8. Girls' team captain, Miriam Daly, also qualified for the semi-finals as she ran 61.66 in the 400m hurdles. Rhasidat's semi-final will take place on Saturday at 10:44am Irish time whilst Miriam will be racing at 17:05pm.

GOLD for Ireland!! Sarah Healy wins gold for @irishathletics at European U18 Championships in Hungary pic.twitter.com/H4ok9TyiM1

— sportsfile (@sportsfile) July 6, 2018

Tullamore Irish Life Health Junior and U23 Championships
Some of Ireland’s top young athletes were out competing in soaring temperatures last Saturday, 30th June, for the Irish Life Health Junior and U23 Championships. This was an opportunity for some of the athletes to get in some good racing and throw their name in the hat for European selection.
Rhasidat Adeleke (Tallaght), Molly Scott (St. L. O'Toole) and Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn) competed in the 100m in Tullamore Harriers’ Stadium on Saturday. Rhasidat, who is ranked both 4^th and 5^th in the European U18 rankings for the 100m and 200m, won gold with a time of 11.83. Molly Scott placed 2^nd with 11.91 and Lauren Roy came in third with a run of 12.02. All the runners earned a call up to the U18 and U20 squads which will compete in Gyor and Tampere.

Junior women’s 100m final at the @irishlifehealth Junior & U23 champs. 1st Rhasidat Adeleke Tallaght AC 11.83, 2nd Molly Scott St L O’Toole AC 11.91, 3rd Lauren Roy City of Lisburn AC 12.02 #JuniorU23champs pic.twitter.com/Wy8eef8OLb

— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) June 30, 2018

Emerald AC star Ciara Neville, who was named in the IAAF World U20 Championships team, took gold in the U20 200m with a time of 24.36.

National U23 & Junior 200m Champions in Tullamore - Róisín Harrison & Ciara Neville. Well done girls. pic.twitter.com/GrSqKu1Mkp

— Emerald AC (@EmeraldAC) July 1, 2018

Kilkenny Citty Harriers’ Ciara Deely who is also named in the IAAF World U20 Championships squad won the 400m in 55.41. Ellie O’Toole of Newbrdge AC placed second running 57.30 and Caoimhe Lynman sealed third with a time of 59.10. Miriam Daly who is captain of the U18 squad in Gyor, won her in 56.59 but opted out of the final to keep herself fresh for Gyor.
Molly Scott, who will represent the green vest at the IAAF World U20 Athletics Championships, won the 100m hurdles as she ran 13.82. Alison Burke of Celtic DCH AC came second in 14.49.
Jo Keane (Ennis Track), selected for the IAAF World U20 Athletics Championships 800m event, and Sophie O’Sullivan (Ballymore Cobh) who will make her debut for Ireland in the 800m in the European U18 Championships, both competed in the U20 800m. Jo Keane came out fastest in an exciting race, edging out Sophie in the last stretch and ran home with 2:14.49. Sophie followed closely behind her finishing in second place with a time of 2:15.66.
Sommer Lecky of Finn Valley has been in brilliant form recently and took home gold in the high jump, clearing 1.70m. Last week Sommer won the Belfast International 2018 high jump with 1.83m.
It was a memorable day for Michaela Walsh of Swinford AC. She recorded a new U23 hammer record with a huge throw of 64.57m, breaking the old record which she also held of 64.22m. She didn’t stop there and took gold in the shot put with 15.06m and silver in the in the javelin.
IAAF World U20 Athletics Championships 
The squad for the IAAF World U20 Athletics Championships which take place in Tampere has been announced. The squad is named below: