THE final weekend of the national juvenile championships were held in Tullamore last weekend with the last of the individual events on Saturday and with the inter-clubs and inter-county relays on Sunday where the Kerry relay teams excelled winning six medals in the eight age groups.

On Saturday Eoin O'Carroll Tralee harriers was again in record breaking form winning the U-16 triple jump with a fine leap of 13.45m. He also went on later in the day to take bronze in a hotly contested 200m. His clubmate Sinead O'Connor just returning from injury won silver in the U-18 long jump where it took a national record by the winner to beat her. Mairead O'Neill (Gneeveguilla) had a huge personal best in winning the U-17 hammer with a throw of 49.13m. Gneeveguilla also had three more medals in the throwing events with Hannah O'Sullivan taking silver in the U-16 discus, Mel O'Callaghan third in the U-15 discus also making the 200m final finishing sixth and Rita Casey third in the U-15 javelin. Kayleigh Cronin (Spa Muckross) added another gold to her discus gold from weekend one when she won the U-15 javelin with a fine 33m throw. Emma Prendiville (Farranfore / Mainevalley) retained her U-18 race walk title and for good measure finished fifth in the high jump with a 1.50m clearance only losing out on countback.

Mary T Moynihan also Farranfore / Mainevalley wrapped her juvenile athletics career winning yet another national medal with silver in the U-19 javelin and her team mate Louise Flynn also had a silver in the U-16 hammer. Cillian O'Donovan (Iveragh) lined up for the U-15 1500m and in a titanic battle, which came down to the line earned a fantastic silver medal in 4.24 minutes.

Other top eight performances came from: Ailbhe Courtney fourth in both the U-19 200m and triple jump; Peter O'Brien seventh U-16 discus and eighth shot; PJ Galvin fifth U-18 high jump; Pa Gilbert eighth U-15 200m; Amy Phelan seventh U-18 high jump; Clarence Kennedy fifth U-18 long jump all St Brendans; Louise O'Connor eighth U-16 200m; Kate Boyd seventh U-16 discus, Danny Pierce fifth U-16 triple jump all Tralee Harriers; David O'Keeffe seventh U-15 1500m; Andrew O'Keeffe sixth U16 discus; Michael O'Neill fifth U-19 hammer all Gneeveguilla and Niamh de Hora Farranfore / Mainevalley seventh U-17 1500m.

Sunday was relay day with six sets of club medals and six sets of county medals returning to Kerry. In the inter county section the Kerry U-15 boys team of Robert Wharton, Mel O'Callaghan, Adam King and Pa Gilbert were the only team to take gold in emphatic fashion decimating the field finishing over thirty metres ahead of second place. There were four sets of silvers on the day with the first going to the boys U-13 team of Billy Courtney, Iarla Courtney, Patrick Warren, Darragh Moynihan and sub Christopher O'Donoghue. The next set went to the young U-17 team of Louise O'Connor, Elaine Courtney, Hannah O'Sullivan, Darragh McDonnell and sub Stephanie Collins with three of these girls underage again next year.

The girls U-19 team had a well deserved silver considering all four girls have been involved in athletics from a very young age with Julie O'Sullivan, Sinead O'Connor, Katie Rogers, Ailbhe Courtney and sub Amy Phelan. After a tiring day of club relays the boys U-19 team were agonisingly close to winning gold but had to settle for silver with Dylan Roche, Luke O'Keeffe, David Hogan, Edward O'Carroll and sub Stewart Nolan

The last set of medals also came from a very young team with the boys U-17 winning bronze with a team of Fearghal O'Nualainn, Eoin O'Carroll, Danny O'Shea, Eoghan Courtney and sub Jack Regan Kirwan with three of these athletes being underage again next year.

Well done also to the girls U-13 and U-15 quartets of Sarah Leahy, Aoife O'Carroll, Aoibheann O'Brien, Chrstine Cooper and Rebecca Daly, Siobhan Donegan, Clara Heinrich and Danielle Vaughan who competed well.

Gold in the inter-club relays came from the seasoned Tralee harriers boys u16 4x100m quartet of Fearghal O'Nuailainn, Eoin O'Carroll, Danny Pierce, Brian Barry and sub Conor O'Mahoney winning with relative ease in what is becoming normal for them at this stage of the season.

Silver came from the St Brendan's boys U-19 4x100m team of Clarence Kennedy, Edward O'Carroll, Dylan Roche, Ben Dennessen and sub Luke Griffin. There were four bronzes also for Kerry clubs with the St Brendan's boys u18 4x100m of Clarence Kennedy, Edward O Carroll, Luke O Keeffe, Ben Dennessen and sub David Hogan and U-17 boys 4x400m team of Jack Regan Kirwan, Dylan Carey, Erik Feitshans and Danny O'Shea. Lios Tuathaill AC girls U-12 took third with a squad of Sophie Lynch, Alex Dowling, Ashling O'Mahoney, Ciara Donegan, Niamh Cullen and Maria O'Neill.

Last but not least the Gneeveguilla boys U-12 team fought hard for a well deserved bronze medal with a quartet of Christopher O'Donoghue, Brian Murphy, Patrick Warren and Darragh Moynihan. Overall a fantastic again for Kerry athletics showing we are now regarded as one of the top athletic counties in the country.

INTERNATIONAL WHILE the final teams have yet to be officially announced for the Celtic games international on August 7 in Athlone the St Brendan's duo of Clarence Kennedy triple jump and Eoghan Courtney hurdles have gained selection from their performances on weekend one three weeks ago along with Jonathan Foley Farranfore Maine valley for the pole vault.

On the international scene while not from Kerry Irish athlete Ciara Megean became only the second irish athlete ever to win a medal at the world junior championships in Canada when she took silver in the 1,500m destroying Sonia O'Sullivan's record running 4.09 minutes.

FIXTURES THE Banna Run 10km road race and fun run/walk is being held in Banna, Ardfert this Sunday August 1 at 9.30am. Entry fee is € 20 on www.runireland.com and there will also be entries taken up until 9am on the morning. There will be a finisher's prize for all along with the Tom O'Riordan perpetual shield for the winner of the mens race with prizes also for the top three in both the mens and womens.

- Shane Delaney