Tallaght athletes in flying form
LAST weekend was a super weekend for Tallaght Athletic Club with Rhasidat Adeleke breaking the Irish National Indoor 400m record at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic on Saturday.
Her superb time of 50.45 shattered the 21-year-old record of 51.58 which was set by Karen Shinkins over 21 years ago.
There was further success for the club at the first two days of the Dublin Juvenile Indoor Championships which were held in the National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown where Jack Kelly won both the U19 800m and 1500m titles in emphatic fashion.
The U17 boys and U18 girls 400m titles also went the way of Tallaght when Alan Geraghty and Hazel Jordan triumphed after brilliant performances on Sunday, and both made the podium in their respective 800m finals the previous day with Alan taking Silver and Hazel Bronze.
Dean Nolan, in his first ever outing won his U17 400m semi-final and just missed out on a podium place when a good 4th in the final.
One of the most encouraging performances on Sunday came from Khalad Kourrini in the U17 1500m when his podium chances appeared to be gone after he was overtaken with 150m remaining, but he fought back bravely in the finishing straight to take the bronze medal on the line.
In the sprint contests Rhasidat Adeleke’s younger brother Abdullahi ran a superb race to take silver in the U15 boys 60m and Gilbert Kaletta added bronze for the club in the U19 60m while Charlie Mooney won bronze in the U19 200m.
Other finalists included Ellie Carruth and Joanna Shodido, with both making the U17 60m final, Kamal Oresanya (4th in the U15 60m), Uche Disu (4th in the U18 60m & 5th in the 200m).
There were encouraging performances from Zane Van Zyl and Gabriella Azeez in the U15 60m, Amaya Mitchell U17 200m, Victoria Tinubu U17 60m and high jump, Ellie Carruth in the U17 200m and Olivia Tyrrell in the U18 200m.
Elsewhere, at the National Masters Indoor Championships in Athlone Michelle Metcalfe ran a new personal best time of 8.82 when taking silver in the O/40 60m and she added bronze in the 200m with a time of 29.80.
Tallaght juvenile athletes will again be contesting Day 3 of the Dublin Indoor Championships in Abbotstown next Sunday.
