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LOCAL STARS SET FOR IRISH LIFE HEALTH AAI NATIONAL T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018

26 July 2018

LOCAL STARS SET FOR IRISH LIFE HEALTH AAI NATIONAL T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Leon Reid (Menapians AC / James Hillier) will be amongst a plethora of local talent who travel to this weekend’s Irish Life Health Senior Track & Field Championships at the Morton Stadium in Santry (Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July 2018).

Fellow Gold Coast team members Emma Mitchell (QUB AC / Eamonn Christie), Adam Kirk-Smith (Derry Track Club), Ciara Mageean (UCD AC / Steve Vernon), Adam McMullen (Crusaders AC / Jonas Dodoo), Ben Reynolds (North Down AC / Tom Reynolds) and Olympian Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle AC / Richard Rodgers) will also be chasing National titles.

Those who have not already secured European Athletics Championships qualifying standards will have an eye on that as well, with Sunday (29th July 2018) being the deadline.

England based athlete Leon Reid will compete over the 100m and 200m and given his form this year the Northern Ireland 200m record holder will be hopeful of improving on his current personal bests, which stand at 10.33 and 20.27 respectively.

Ballymena & Antrim AC’s Dean Adams (Alan Kennedy) will also line-up in the 100m, while in the 110m hurdles, Ben Reynolds should top the podium.

Ciara Mageean will take confidence from last week’s seasons best over 800m as she takes on both the 800m and 1500m.  In the 1500m, the New Balance UK athlete will face tough opposition, including fellow NI athletes Emma Mitchell and Kerry O’Flaherty.  Northern Ireland 10,000m and 5,000m record holder Emma will also race in the 5,000m alongside Ann-Marie McGlynn (Letterkenny AC).

Adam Kirk-Smith will go in his favourite 3,000m Steeplechase. In the 5,000m, NI & Ulster Champion Conor Bradley (City of Derry AC / Teresa McDaid) and fellow NI man Stephen Scullion (Clonliffe Harriers / Stephen Haas) will go head-to-head.

In the 400m hurdles, Jason Harvey (Crusaders AC / Paul McKee) will face international star Thomas Barr (Ferrybank AC), while in the 400m, NI men Craig Newell (Ballymena & Antrim AC / Ian Neely) and Andrew Mellon (Crusaders AC / Brendan McConville) should be amongst those contesting gold.  Rising star Davicia Patterson (Beechmount Harriers) will be one to watch in the ladies 400m.

Conall Kirk (Annadale Striders / Mark Kirk) will be hoping to continue what has been an excellent season as he takes on Mark English (UCD AC) in the stacked 800m event. 

NI & Ulster 10,000m Champion Eoghan Totten (Newcastle AC / Richard Rodgers) will be amongst a large Northern Ireland contingent battling for medals in the 10,000m, but the local athletes will come up against high calibre opposition, including Sergiu Ciobanu (Clonliffe Harriers), Sean Hehir (Rathfarnham WSAF) and Hugh Armstrong (Ballina AC).

Junior starlet Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC / Adam McMullen), who performed well at this week’s Welsh Under 20 International, will race in the 100m and 200m, while in the 100m hurdles, Spartan Naomi Morgan (City of Derry AC / Tom Reynolds) should place well.

In the field, Adam McMullen (Jonas Dodoo) will be aiming for the eight metre mark in the Long Jump.   Competing in the Shot Putt will be James Kelly (Finn Valley AC / John Kelly Snr) with Lydia Mills (Ballymena & Antrim AC / Alan Kennedy) will take on the Long Jump and Triple Jump.

The championships will be televised live on RTE 2 on Sunday from 17:35 to 19:45.

More information about the event, including start lists, timetable and viewing information are available HERE.