by Perri Williams
Under the stunning backdrop of the Comeragh Mountain, the first of the 2025 Irish Milers Meets kicked off at Clonmel yesterday. Euro qualification standards, exciting finishes and general all round positive athletics vibes left the athletics fraternity with some positive notes for the season ahead.
The mornings throwing events produced two European qualification standards. Theo Hanlon (Suncroft) got the better of long-time rival Andrew Cooper (Gowran) to produce his winning throw of 17.96m in the third round. This is the form that the Suncroft athlete has been waiting for all winter to produce. It surpasses the B standard of 17.85m. In the men’s hammer, the reigning European u18 champion Thomas Williams (Shercock) hammered out the 69.89m second round throw which is well wining the performance standards laid out by Athletics Ireland, for European Youth selection.
Eimear Maher (DSD AC) ran the perfect race in the ladies 3000m as she continues her journey towards European u23 qualification. Maher who is aiming for the 1500m turned her attention to the 3000m yesterday. Tucking in behind the pacemaker, she hit her targets right throughout the competition. Her 9.22 is deemed an equivalent standard for the 5000m. The DSD athlete will race over 1500m in Belfast next week. Coming on the back of a season of injury in 2024 she is in the unfortunate position of having to seek good races, as she has no 2024 times to gain entry to the races she is actually in the form to be in.
Emily Bolton did what Emily Bolton is good at. The Clonliffe Harriers athlete was in excellent form as clocked 4.21.35 to win the 1500m. This surpasses the EYOF guidelines of 4.25 and is also a European u20 B standard. In an unusual display of emotion, the poised Bolton punched the air as she crossed the line, clearly satisfied with her excellent run.
The ladies 800m produced two u20 qualification standards. The in-form Gemma Galvin was a surprise winner, beating the National Senior Indoor silver medalist and the 2024 European finalists Pia Langton and Saoirse Fitzgerald. The final 150m was a race between Galvin, Fitzgerald and Langton. Rounding the final bend it was Fitzgerald who was pushing towards the front with Galvin just to the right of her shoulder. Galvin powered down the home straight to win in a time of 2.05.77 from Fitzgerald in 2.06.63 within the u20 B standard of 2.07. Pia Langton was very unfortunate to be just .01 off the standard with a time of 2.07.01. Langton will be in action next Saturday in Belfast where she hopes to mitigate this deficit.
One of the most exciting finishes of the day was the men’s 1500m. While it may not have produced any qualification standards, Oisin Murray (An Riocht) just keeps getting better and better. Since Belfast in 2024, the UCG medical student has worked his way into the top irish u23 ranks across multiple distances. He held off a fast-finishing Jonas Stafford (UCD) to win in a time of 3.47.8. Noah Harris (Parnell) ran a PB of 3.48 to finish third.
The first race of the day saw a devasting close to standard by Daisy Walker (Monaghan Phoenix). Against one of the strongest headwinds of the afternoon, leaving cert student Walker clocked 54.91 just .01 seconds off the European u20 B standard of 54.90. Like Langton in the 800m, she will have another opportunity in Belfast next weekend to target the standard required.
The Clonmel Irish Milers meet overall has proved to be a great new addition to the Irish Athletics calendar.