Dixon storms to All-Ireland Schools victory in Tymon

TALLAGHT Athletic Club’s Cormac Dixon stormed to victory at the All-Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships in Tymon Park on Saturday.

Representing HFCS Rathcoole, the talented young athlete mixed it from the start in a very tactically run race with some of the best young athletes in the country in the Senior 6000m contest.

Matching strides with a group of four for most of the three two-kilometre laps, until he injected a kick for home that killed off the opposition in the final 250m to claim victory.

Elsewhere, there were further successes for the club at the Leinster Senior, Junior, and Master Indoor Championships in Athlone, where Tallaght filled the three podium places in the Junior Women’s U20 200m after Uche Disu (25.81), Gloria Oigbuchie (26.32), and Joanna Shodido (26.99) finished first, second and third respectively.

Uche Discu also finished 4th in the U20 60m final with a time of 7.95. Patrick Curran won the M45 pole vault with a clearance of 2.60m while Michelle Metcalfe won silver and Anita Carruth bronze in their respective 200m master women’s W40 and W45 categories.

Cormac Dixon celebrates winning the senior boys 6000m Photos by Sportsfile

Also, on Sunday at the Bohermeen Half Marathon in County Meath, Gareth O’Keeffe was the first Tallaght competitor to cross the finish line 1:24.17, and he was followed home by Michael Murphy (1:29.03), Tara Darcy (1:29.11), Gerry Schley (1:30.30), Joe Pepper (1:34.29), John Ritchie (1:34.32), Susan Jones (1:35.12), Dara Macken (1:37.39), Alan McCabe (1:41.11), Seam Mcabe (1:41.10), and Joe Molds (1:49.41), while Paul Murphy completed the Gorey 10 mile road race in 14:15.