The national senior indoors at the NIA, Abbottstown is one of the highlights of the athletics season. This weekend has really captured the imagination with Sunday a sell-out and tickets not available for love nor money. Today’s action consisted of heats and qualifiers for tomorrow’s finals along with a sprinkling of finals. The 2025 championships attracted one of the biggest Clonliffe Harrier entries in many a year. The highlight from a Clonliffe perspective was the brilliant performance of Marcus Lawler as he secured the national 200 title in a new indoor PB , championships record and club indoor record of 20.74.
The first of the Harriers in action today was Niall Allen, the hero of the club’s recent success in the national indoor league, competing in the WFD, throwing 6.75m to take a superb national senior bronze.
First of the track athletes was Emily Bolton and Lorraine O’Connor in the heats of the 1500 where they were both drawn in heat 1 and ran mature races to finish 2nd and 3rd, Lorraine 4.32.09 and Emily 4.32.34 2 qualified comfortably for tomorrow’s final.
In the men’s 1500 bizarrely all 3 Clonliffe athletes were drawn in heat 1 with both Cathal Doyle, the defending champion, qualifying comfortably in 2nd place (3.56.53) and Sean Cronin in 4th (3.56.64). Lorcan Benjacar was extremely unlucky to miss out placing 7th (3.57.44).
Then it was Marcus Lawler in the 200 qualifiers come to be qualifying as he won heat 1 in 21.01. Newly minted Clonliffe Harrier Luca Logue-Fonseca finished in 2nd place in heat 5 recording a time of 22.10, that time was enough to also qualify Luca for the final meaning that will be two Clonliffe men lining up a couple of hours later. Christopher Lynch ran a fine 23.28 pb in finishing 2nd in heat 6. In the final of course Marcus was a class apart winning by over a second and to take the national title in some style (20.74). Luca placed 6th in the final in a time of 22.52, keeping plenty in reserve for tomorrow’s 60s.
In the 800 heats Niamh Kelly ran an excellent race to qualify for another national final as she placed 3rd in heat 3 in a time of 2.13.29. In the men’s, strangely once again both Clonliffe athletes were drawn in the same heat – heat number 3. Joe Flynn in his 1st outing in the black and amber had a good run to placed 4th in 155.47, unfortunately Sean Carrigg had a race to forget trailing home in 2.04.38, better days ahead for Sean.
Rolus Olusa in the 60 Hurdles final finished in that oh so unlucky 4th position in a time of 8.42, missing out on bronze by a mere 200ths of a second. It was also great to see a 2nd Clonliffe athlete in this final as Franceso Kadlec finished in 7th place in a time of 8.75.
Finally today in the last event it was the turn of the 4 x 200 men’s team, a very young squad out to date again experience of competing in a major championship, the team of Evan Storey, James Duane, Franceso Kadlek and Christopher Lynch put in an admirable performance finishing 3rd in heat number 2 in a time of 1.35.04
Tomorrow, we look forward to our qualifiers competing in the finals, with the middle distance events providing great interest, there also be an eagerly awaited men’s 3000, and of course the always dramatic 60s.