Unknown

28 November, 2009

<B> RESULTS</B>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/U%2016%20Teams.htm">Under 16 Teams </a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2018%20Teams.htm">Under 18 Teams</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2014%20Girls.htm"> Under 14 Girls </a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2014%20Boys.htm">Under 14 Boys
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2016%20Girls.htm">Under 16 Girls </a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2016%20Boys.htm"> Under 16 Boys</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/Under%2018%20Girls.htm"> Under 18 Girls</a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/U%2018%20Boys.htm"> Under 18 Boys </a>
<a href="http://www.imra.ie/ad-hoc/B&I%20OPEN.htm"> OPEN RACE</a>
In what turned out to be an excellently run event that proved yet again that IMRA can run international competitions, a young Irish team discovered that being at sharp end of international races can be sometimes a little too unattainable. Hoping to come away with gold in our second staging of the British & Irish Junior Championships, Ireland had to console itself with two individual bronze medals through Conor Dooney and Michelle Finn together with team silver and bronze medals in the Girls and Boys Under 16 races.

Dooney, son of former Irish half marathon champion Roy, displayed excellent form on the Carlingford, Co. Louth course to improve on his last year?s 6th place in Keswick in the Under 16 category and must be a strong hope for the future in the senior events. Dooney and his Irish team-mates Ciaran McKenna, Eoin Pierce and Darragh Flynn took the team bronze after a hard fought race behind a dominant England.

Michelle Finn went matched Dooney?s efforts and improved to third from 7th place last year. A strong run from Michelle in the Under 16 Girls race, inspired her Irish team-mates and saw Rosy Temple powering through to take an excellent 6th despite being hampered by niggling injury problems. Behind her, Karen McParland and Fiona Slattery pushed hard to take 11th and 17th respectively and ensure Ireland had the team silver in the trophy cabinet. However the lion?s share of the medals went to England whose runners won all four team events and left the countries scrabbling for leftovers and answers.

Held on the steep Slieve Foye mountain overlooking Carlingford Lough, the demanding courses reflected the tricky terrain and many falls influenced the overall medals table. Ireland had hoped for an individual gold in the U18s with the in form Ellen Diskin who had upset the English at the recent World Championships in Wellington in New Zealand. However, the onset of a stomach bug the previous evening ensured that Ireland?s best hope was sidelined. An untroubled Emma Stuart (England) daughter of 1985 World Champion Kenny Stuart took the gold in emphatic fashion.

Stuart was followed by her team mate Emma Clayton, but a strong performance by Northern Ireland?s Michelle Strum saw her splitting the rest of the dominant English team and giving the island the consolation of yet another bronze. Ireland?s Carol Finn and Laura Buckley took 5th and 7th places, but the absence of the stricken Diskin, and no fourth runner options ensured there would be no medals for the home country in the race.

In the Boys Under 18 event, England?s Nick Swinburne was piloting the English bulldozer as the white vests finished 1,2,3,4 despite the efforts of Ireland whose best runner was Eoin Callaghan back in 12th place. Eoin was followed in by Sam Hand 14th and Paul Boylan 15th while Brendan Lyons was the fourth Irish runner in 17th. Ireland took 4th place with 41 points some margin away from Wales?s bronze medallists with 27 points.

DB