By taking home no fewer than ten medals from Saturday's Tailteann Games interprovincial schools U-17 championships, Fermanagh's young athletes yet again confirmed their place at the top table of schools athletics in Ireland and set themselves up nicely for the All-Ireland open age group championships over the next two weekends.
Ironically the only personal best, of an afternoon when Santry Stadium was swept by heavy showers and stong winds, came from an athlete who did not make the medal rostrum this time. But with a PB of 54.34 for 5th place in the 400m and another season in this age group it will not be long before Daniel Walsh of St. Michael's joins the growing list of national medallists in his training group.
Another local athlete, James Speight from Erne Integrated College also took 5th in the 1500m steeplechase and like most of the Fermanagh athletes in action he will have another season at U-17 level in which to attempt to force his way into the medals.
Local sprinters have been making an increasing mark nationally in recent years and with two medals each in the 100m and 200m Gerard Maguire (Erne Integrated) and Stuart Connor (St Michael's) continued the growing tradition of sprinting in the Erne county. On an afternoon when the strong headwinds made fast times impossible Maguire took silver and Connor bronze in both sprints although it took the photo finish to seperate them in the shorter event and both will be looking to nail down national age group titles on Saturday in Antrim in events where they are both reigning champions.
Ciaran Dolan found the conditions not to his liking but managed to secure two silver medals in the Long and Triple Jump although the latter definitely had an adverse affect on his performance in the latter and he may well choose to focus on the Long Jump at the schools international in Bedford on July 19th, a decision he will make after competing in both events this coming weekend.
Not suprisingly perhaps, given the conditions, the 3000m turned into a tactical affair,ran at pedestrian pace until the bell, with Niall Cullen repeating his third place finish from the All-Ireland schools, the Belcoo lad being unable to accelerate sufficiently on that closing lap, with the effects of the Enniskillen 10K from the previous Saturday perhaps still in his legs.
The health of local sprinting was never better demonstrated than in the 4 x 100m relay when probably uniquely a Fermanagh trio of sprinters, Connor, Dolan and Maguire teamed up to hand Curtis Woods of Downshire a ten metre advantage which saw him ease Ulster to a victory which cemented a third consecutive comfortable team triumph for the Northern boys, another illustration of how difficult it has become to win Ulster schools medals in boys athletics.
All these athletes plus many more locals will be in action over this coming Saturday and Sunday when the first weekend on national age-group action takes place in Antrim Forum with the prospect of a number of national medals and titles for Fermanagh's talented youngsters.
