Rising star Alisha is crowned All-Ireland champion
Athletics: Tullamore Harriers News
The juvenile track and field season came to a conclusion after two days of intense and tough competition at the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships at the Tullamore Harriers Stadium last weekend. Joining athletes from all corners of the country, four Tullamore Harriers members competed in the U17 age category: Alisha Maher, Katie Deverell, Teagan Delaney, and Eimear Cotter, with Alisha taking the honours over the 2 days of competition.
On Saturday, Alisha, Katie, and Teagan lined up for the 100-metre heats, and all three raced brilliantly, with Alisha and Katie both taking second place in their respective heats to progress to the final. Teagan was unfortunately unable to get into the mix to make it to the final eight.
The final was going to be a very close encounter, with only hundreths of a second separating the top six athletes in the sprint. Despite the challenging weather conditions with consistent rainfall, Alisha and Katie showed great determination and started strongly from the starting line. Alisha's execution of the start and acceleration phases gave her the advantage early on, and she held onto her lead for the next 30 metres. However, the chasing pack, including Katie, was determined to catch up.
Nevertheless, Alisha remained composed and focused, maintaining her speed and composure until the very end. With a strong finish, she secured the All-Ireland title with an impressive time of 12.45 seconds, which also matched her personal best. This young lady was so focused on the race that seconds after the win she realised her accomplishment, which was a joy for all to witness.
It's evident that Alisha is a talented and promising athlete, and her victory in the All Ireland final is well-deserved. Congratulations once again to Alisha on her superb accomplishment!
This was Katie’s first time competing in the 100m at a higher level; she had only competed in one race prior to this. To run a personal best of 12.66 seconds and finish 5th in an All-Ireland final is a remarkable achievement, and no doubt this young lady will be seen more in the sprinting events.
Early on Sunday morning, Teagan Delaney was back for the 200m and was faced with very unfavourable sprinting conditions — persistant rain and a head wind. Teagan ran a solid race but was unable to make the final, but the experience gained from these two good performances will undoubtedly serve her well in the North Leinster Community Games finals in August.
Katie Deverell was back again with her club teammate Eimear Cotter for the long jump, and with a high-quality field present, both jumped well in their opening three jumps to make the final eight. Eimear had a best jump of 501cms, and Katie had a best of 497cms.
Placed 4th and 5th coming into the final three jumps, Eimear improved to 513cm and Katie to 510cm, but unfortunately not enough for either lady to make the podium. They finished in 5th and 6th place overall, both outstanding performances at All-Ireland level.
On Sunday evening, Eimear competed in the triple jump, and despite slightly better weather conditions, the stronger headwinds and fatigue from her earlier events posed challenges. However, she managed to finish with a best of 10.10m, securing an 8th place finish.
Eimear is new to the triple jump discipline this season and has shown remarkable talent with a PB of 10.5 m, taking Leinster gold and silver medals in both indoor and outdoor championships, which bodes well for the new season.