Impressive field turns out for Junior Liffey Descent
THE WEIRS at Lucan and Wren’s Nest provided some of the highlights in the Junior Liffey Descent on Saturday.
Indeed some 200 competitors from right around the country took part in the contest which was a fitting opening event for the 60th anniversary year of the Liffey Descent.
Senan Forrestal (left) and Eabha O Drisceoil.
Senan Forrestal of Thomastown Paddlers, winner of the junior race at the 59th Liffey Descent last September, proved the class of the field at the weekend, negotiating the 10 kilometre course from Leixlip to Strawberry Beds in a time of 51 minutes 30 seconds.
More than a minute later was pre-race favourite Matthew McCartney from Celbridge Paddlers for second place in 52.54 a year after he had also finished second behind European junior marathon champion Ronan Foley.
A close third was Eoin O’Toole of Salmon Leap Canoe Club in 53.27, winning the Under 15 Boys class in 56.42 was Paul Donnellan with his Salmon Leap clubmate Ruairi Bray less than a minute behind.
The fastest girl was Eabha O Drisceoil of Salmon Leap CC, winner of the Under 15 age group for a second year.
Despite a wobble at Lucan Weir, she recovered quickly and went on to clock a time of 60.41.
Not too far behind was Aine White of Celbridge Paddlers who was first of the Under 18 age group in a time of 1:03:30 while second was Roisin Hannon of Moy CC in Ballina who had moved up from the Under 15 class and finished in 1:08.06.
Winning the open white water class in 1:02.32 was Simon Kenny of the Phoenix Club in Cork.
In the B class races, Gael Castillo of Salmon Leap clocked a time of 1:04.38 to finish best in the Under 18 field while Sean King of Celbridge Paddlers won a closely contested Under 15 Boys race in 1:09.34, with Salmon Leap’s Christian O’Sullivan just 20 seconds behind.
By some way the biggest entry of the day came in the Under 15C class race, with 64 lining out and 59 finishing.
Leading home that field was Salmon Leap’s Conor Flanagan whose time of 1:10.13 put him almost five minutes ahead of the chasers led by Ciaran Ball of the 5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts.
Fastest of the nine girls competing was Katie Woods from GOYA in 1:43.47, with her clubmate Roisin Hannon less than a minute behind for second.
A further 23 had signed up for the Under 18 Boys race, with Daniel Stratford, from Virginia Kayak in Co Cavan, leading them home in 1:07.22.
Joanne Ball of the 5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts was the first girl in 1:17.01, with 13 entered in this class – the largest girls’ field of the day.
A total of five boats had entered the canoe doubles and first home in 1:26.59 were Kevin O’Connor and Kevin McGrath of Kilkenny Aqua.
