Ireland’s best schools’ athletes head for Tullamore this weekend to compete at the Irish Life Health All Ireland Schools Track and Field Championships (Sat June 4th).
The all-action programme will be streamed live on Athletics Ireland’s YouTube Channel from 9:30am and includes some rising stars of athletics including Lucy-May Sleeman, Maeve O’Neill, Kirsti Foster and pole vaulter Una Brice.
Lucy-May Sleeman (Bruce College Cork) has been in flying form this season and will be one not to miss in the senior 100 and 200m races. Sleeman provided one of the highlights of the indoor season in clocking a 7.43 CR (Juv) for 60m, taking over from the 7.44 clocked by Patience Jumbo-Gula in 2019. Sleeman also set a 24.24 CR for 200m at those same juveniles indoor championships and will be looking to continue her scintillating season.
The 400m races look sure to be brilliant spectacles, in particular the senior girls with Kate O'Connell (Mt Sackville Chapelizod) and the returning Maeve O'Neill (MICC Dunmanway) set to battle it out. O’Neill provided arguably the performance of the national indoors (Juv) in taking the U19 800m title in a a big CR of 2.08.80, taking over from Ciara Everard’s 2.09.74 from 2008.
The 1500m will see the return of the impressive Foster sisters. Lucy Foster (Down HS Downpatrick) will go in the intermediate race, having set a 4:37.96 CBP at the national juvenile championships in April. The senior race for girls should be another superb race, with Ruby Streven (St Marys Edenderry) sure to give her running. Kirsti Foster (Down HS Downpatrick) broke Nadia Power’s U18 indoor record with a 4:33.64 CBP and will look to continue her form here. Foster’s schoolmate, Rebecca Rossiter (Down HS Downpatrick), will ensure a truly run race from the gun and will be right there coming around the final bend.
The action in Tullamore on Saturday gets up and running from 9am.
