Global focus as county hosts first Racewalking Grand Prix

Sunday saw a first for athletics and racewalking in the county as the Kilkenny Athletics County Board held their first ever World Athletics-approved competition.

Held at the Pink Rock and hosted by St Joseph’s AC, over 90 racewalkers from all over Ireland attended the Kilkenny Racewalking Grand Prix. This event featured many national champions, along with athletes who have already represented Ireland in racewalking at international competitions. Their goals were to achieve qualification for major championships (European, World and Olympic) and new personal bests.

Kate Veale, the former World Youth Champion, was there to achieve the Olympic and European 20km standard. At the 6km mark Veale was 15 seconds under the one hour, 35 minutes and 30 seconds required. However, as Veale continued her quest, the qualifying mark slipped by. She did finish with a massive new personal best, that was unfortunately not the 1.35.30 she needed. The road was lined with crowds of spectators all coming to cheer the West Waterford AC athlete on. Sheer crowd applause and encouragement alone raised the spirits and determination of Veale over the final stages of the race.

On the sideline cheering Veale was St Joseph’s AC’s John Mackey, who was the Irish champion in the 1970s. Mackey swelled with pride as he witnessed the amazing spectacle of over 90 racewalkers competing on his home turf.

“This would have been a dream in my time,” he said.

Matthew Newell (Tuam, Galway) once more achieved the under-18 European qualifying standard. Newell has already qualified for this competition which will be held in Slovakia in July. Other big names racing included Joe Mooney (Wexford), who won the senior 10km race. Mooney has already achieved the qualifying standard for the European Seniors to be held in Rome in June.

He competed in the World Cup in Turkey a fortnight ago. Aoife Martin (Cork) narrowly missed out on the under-18 European standard but both her and runner-up Robyn Murphy (Longford) will have another opportunity next month.

There was a good turnout from Kilkenny clubs with 27 athletes represented. Amy Walsh (St Joseph’s) continued to impress with her superb form. Walsh won the Andalusian Championships in Guadix, Spain earlier this year, beating the Spanish champion in the process.

At the Pink Rock, Walsh was pushed for the first half of the under-16 3km race by Sophie Beresford (West Waterford), Galway’s Cuisle O’Callaghan (Tuam) and Cliodhna Ni Chonaill (Castlegar). Calm and collected, Walsh is not one to panic with competition - she relishes it. Ní Chonaill had tirelessly tracked her for the entire race at the National Indoors last month, there was no way Walsh was going to allow this to happen again.

Similar to her race in Spain, Walsh proved too strong for the opposition in the latter part of the race. With O’Callaghan and Ní Chonaill dropping off her pace only Beresford trailed the Kilkenny athlete. Walsh won with three seconds to spare and plenty left in the tank.

Evan Walsh finished third in the under-18 boys’ 5km event. Matthew Newell was a class apart out in front. This left Walsh along with Shane Byrne (Togher) to battle for silver and gold. The Corkman proved too strong for Walsh after the 3km point and started to pull away, heading towards the gold.

Maggie O’Connor (St Joseph’s) was once again in action. The European Masters medalist competed in the 5km event. O’Connor is a tough competitor and despite being over 50, leaves no excuse for age on the competition course. She won the Masters 5km with ease.

Emma Walsh finished third in the girls’ under-14 competition. Younger sibling to Amy and Evan, she surprised the opposition when she gained momentum in the latter part of the 2km race. The winner Teagan Rooney (Tuam) was superb, beating all but one of the boys who raced alongside them. Tadgh O’Callaghan (St Senan’s) finished third in the boys’ under-14 race, where Garreth Glennon (Mullingar) was simply outstanding. Glennon finished the 2km race with over 25 seconds to spare over Sean McNulty (Dublin).

Sam Kinsella (St Joseph’s) won the boys’ under-12 1km race. Kinsella was over 40 seconds clear of Dylan McDavitt (Dublin). This is the first competition for Kinsella - definitely an athlete to watch out for in the future.

Kilkenny has always been regarded as a stronghold of racewalking. Back in the 1970s John Mackey (St Joseph’s AC) dominated the Irish race-walking competitions and was held in high esteem across the nation from Cork to Donegal. Perri Williams was the first athlete from a Kilkenny club to qualify for the Olympic Games. Additionally, she was also the first Irish female to represent Ireland at the Olympics in race-walking in Barcelona 1992. Throughout the decades racewalkers from various Kilkenny clubs have donned the green vest, representing Ireland at various international events.

What this event is testament to, is the ability of a group of former Olympians, led by world champion Robert Heffernan and driven by former Irish international, Pierce O’Callaghan to drive the agenda of racewalking in Ireland. The group is strongly supported by a host of Irish racewalking Olympians including Perri Williams, Jamie Costin, Zuzana Malikova, all of whom were present last Sunday.

One of the main aims is to ensure that athletes get the best possible opportunities to race and train together in Ireland. There is a need to ensure that athletes (including the elite ones) turn up to race each other, driving the essence of competition and eliminating the need to travel abroad to achieve qualifying standards. A few key competitions are identified each year which athletes are encouraged to attend.

The need to focus on personal achievements is strongly advocated rather than constantly dwelling on the accolades and accomplishments of the elite. This helps sustain motivation. When you get 90 racewalkers in one place for a Sunday competition, this proves what the Academy advocates is working well.