All posts in Masters athletics

Last night, Thursday June 6th, Clonliffe Harriers honoured our Master W/35 200 world indoor champion Snezana Bechtina with a presentation being made on behalf of the club members to Snezana by ladies captain Louise Carraher and club President Paddy Marley.

Snezana moved to Ireland fourteen years ago back in 2005 from her native Lithuania. She has become a valued member of Clonliffe Harriers, contributing enormously to the ladies track and field team, the highlight of which was the winning by the women’s track and field team of the Division 1 title in 2011 and in recent times she has covered a multitude of events: sprints, walks, jumps, pole vault and relays. Upon moving into the Masters ranks, however, she has blossomed as an athlete. Her main focus has been on the 400 but she became the dominant Masters sprinter in Ireland winning national titles indoor over 60, 200 and 400 and outdoors over 100, 200 and 400.

International success has followed in recent years with Snezana medalling at the Masters Indoor Championships in South Korea in 2017 taking silver in both the 200 and 400. In 2018 she won her first international title winning 400 gold at the European Masters Indoors in Madrid. At the 2018 World Masters in Malaga in September of last year she won 200 bronze and 400 silver.

Moving on then to March of this year, the World Masters Indoor Championships took place in Poland where Snezana in the 400 took silver in 58.14 and then on the 29^th of March became a world champion winning the W/35 200 in a time of 25.68.

Clonliffe Harriers World Champion Snezana Bechtina.

On another busy weekend for the club the Clonliffe master athletes were in equally excellent form in Athlone for today’s National Masters Indoor Championships. Matt Slattery won his umpteenth national titles taking M65 gold in the 200 (29.84) and 400 (67.12) and then for good measure 800 silver (2.37.16).

Snezana Bechtina was in flying form once again taking W35 400 gold in 58.00, winning by a massive 5 seconds, and 200 gold (26.47).

George Maybury was also a double medal winner M65 800 and 1500 bronze (2.43.94 and 5.53.37).

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At last night’s NIA live indoor track Meet at Abbottstown Clonliffe Master Athlete of the year 2018 continued 2019 where she had left off in 2018 with another masterful display. Snezana in running a
time of 25.64 took more than one tenth off the previous Irish Masters record to set a new women’s masters 200 indoor Irish record.

Coming hot on the heels of Sunday’s National Masters M/65 winning team performance by Matt Slattery, George Maybury, Eugene McCarrick and Pat Devitt (with both Matt and George also taking inter-county gold with Dublin) the club’s master athletes continue to shine.

This past weekend has been an enormously successful weekend for Clonliffe athletes throughout the ages: from the junior men and women performing so well in Albufeira in Portugal to the track and field athletes, in
particular Keith Marks setting a new club indoor long jump record, the intermediate athletes led by Sean O’Leary who took the national intermediate title, the masters winning National M/65 and now Snezana setting a new Masters indoor 200 record.

The last cross-country event of the 2018/2019 club cross-country season is Sunday’s National intermediate and Masters championship at Dundalk IT.

Sean O’Leary leads a very strong Clonliffe intermediate team. If all run according to current form it is a team that will challenge for the title. O’Leary will line up with Adam O’Brien, Eoin Taggart, Greg Hossenny, Sean Doran Sean Carrigg, Liam Roarty and Aaron Hanlon.

In the Masters cross-country championship there is a Clonliffe M55 team of Kieran Murphy, Philip O’Doherty and Tom Monks entered and also a strong M65 team of Matt Slattery, George Maybury, Pat Devitt and Shay Byrne entered. The entry list also has Kevin Dowling as a starter at M50.

At a Spring like St. Anne`s Park in Raheny today the Clonliffe O/50 men`s team of Kieran Murphy (83rd), Philip O`Doherty (98th), Kevin Dowling (129th) and Maurice McCrohan (188th) won Dublin Master`s Cross Country bronze.

First Clonliffe man home was M40 Murray Ahern, 62th overall. The 35+ team placed 18th.

Clonliffe men:

The O/65 mens duo also ran very well with Matt Slattery once again putting that track speed into use as he bagged individual bronze with Shay Byrne 8th.

The Clonliffe 35+ women`s team put in a fine performance to place 5th of the 18 teams, led home in 26th place by Elaine McLoughlin, with Maura Matthews 35th, Aideen Brady 37th and Aimee Ahern 39th.

Thanks to Melissa Curran for photos.

Clonliffe women`s results:

The Dublin Masters Cross Country takes place in St. Anne’s Park Raheny tomorrow. There are several Clonliffe athletes running. The women’s captain has named a team comprising: Aideen Brady, Sharon Lawlor, Elaine McLoughlin, Aimee Ahern, Mandy McMenamy, Laura Kiernan  Maura Matthews, Clodagh Moriarity, Yvonne McDonagh, Brid Beausang, Orla Deighan, Karen McAffee, Paula Horgan, Evelyn Brennan, Mary Ketterer, Elaine O’Dowd, Áine McCann.

A strong contingent of master men are also entered for the championships.

The women race over 3000 at 1.00pm with the men’s 6000 race at 1.30pm. Both captain’s have requested athletes to meet at 12.00.

The club’s Masters put in a golden day in warm and sticky conditions in Tullamore at today’s National Masters Track and Field.

Golds were won in fine style by Snezana Bechtina W35 in both the 100 (12.80) and 200 (26.03). Thomas Moran also won sprints gold in the M40 100 in 12.00 and Matt Slattery did likewise in the M65 200 (29.46), winning his 6th successive national masters title.

The golden lady of the day however with triple gold was the evergreen Frances Mansfield with total domance in the throws:  M70 Discus (13.68), Hammer (14.88) and weight for distance (2.51).

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Clonliffe welcomed home European Indoors Masters W35 400m gold medallist Snezana Bechtina tonight. Snezana won the European title in Madrid on Tuesday. After her semi final the previous day Snezana said she felt sluggish during that “slower” race and “…decide that I would feel better running fast from the off in the final”. So if proved to be as she lead from the off and was clear at the break on her way to winning her first International title. Last year Snezana medalled at the World Masters Indoors, and of course set a series of new Masters National records.

Snezana`s attention now turns towards the outdoor season and looks to winning more National titles and then the big one.. in September the World Masters in Malaga, Spain. All being well Snezana may once again reign in Spain!

(Pictured, Alana, Cara, Snezana, Emma and Aoife)

(European Indoor W35 400 Champion: Snezana Bechtina)

(Below action from European Masters Indoors)

Clonliffe`s multi decorated Master`s Champion sprinter Snezana Bechtina has done it again! At the European Masters Indoor Championships in Madrid today she won the W35 400 European title in 58.97.