Tullamore Harriers report – 24th May 2026
Leinster Senior and Masters Track & Field Championships
On what was a beautiful sunny weekend and a great start to the outdoor track and field season, several athletes travelled to SETU Carlow Campus for the Leinster Championships on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th May, securing a fantastic haul of medals and producing some excellent performances for Tullamore Harriers.
100m Sprint
Senior Men.
In Heat 1, Emmanuel Ilori finished 7th in 11.43.
In Heat 2, Dolapo Kush placed 4th in 11.19 to qualify for the final, where he finished 8th overall in 11.80.
Colm Gath and Billy Corrigan also competed in Heat 2, clocking 11.25 and 11.29 respectively.
Senior Ladies.
Halimat Balogun finished 7th in the Senior Ladies 100m in 14.20.
200m
Mary Walsh 1st O75 43.80
400m
Stephen Byrne claimed his second Leinster gold in the M50 category with a time of 1:01.32.
4x100m Relay
Tullamore Harriers were crowned Leinster champions in the 4x100m relay with the team of Billy Corrigan, Colm Gath, Stephen Byrne and Dolapo Kush.
1500m
Olive Mannion won the W60 1500m in 7:22.73.
Richie Faulkner secured bronze in the M50 race with a time of 5:08.12.
5000m
Barry Mooney 3rd Senior 16:53.75
Field Events
Joseph Mulligan secured seven gold medals in the Masters O35 category:
Shot Put (7.26kg) – 1st – 9.63m
Weight for Distance (56lbs) – 1st – 5.27m
Hammer (7.26kg) – 1st – 23.46m
Weight Throw (35lbs) – 1st – 8.53m
Discus (2kg) 1st - 23.92
Javelin (800g) – 1st - 30.70
Weight for Height (56lbs) – 1st – 3.20
Marek Pokorny competed in two events in the M50 category. He was 4th in the Javelin (700g) in 32.15 and 4th in the Discus (1.5kg) with a throw of 28.10
Olive Mannion recorded a best throw of 6.50m in the Shot Put (3kg), while in the Weight for Distance (20lbs) she threw 5.01m.
Leinster Gold for Rachel Keaney
Rachel Keaney raced in the U20 1500m at the Leinster Championships on Saturday (May 23rd) and after the first lap she took the lead which she held all the way to the finish line. Rachel’s winning time was 4:53.43.
Aurelia Crotty was also in action in the U18 2000m Steeplechase in which she finished third and later in the day 1.04.29 in the 400m.
European 10,000m Cup
It was a disappointing outcome for Michael Murphy on his senior international debut for Ireland, as he was unfortunately forced to withdraw during the 10,000m race in La Spezia, Italy on Saturday 23rd of May.
While this will no doubt be a disappointment for Michael, gaining selection to represent Ireland at senior international level is a tremendous achievement and he should be extremely proud to wear the Irish singlet.
Gold for Cusack at Leinster Schools Track and Field
On the final day of the Leinster Schools Track and Field Championships on May 20th, Tilly Cusack blew apart the field in the Minor Girls 1100m over the last lap. The young Killina athlete bided her time for the first lap and half before getting on the shoulder of Leah Fitzsimons from Dublin. In the final stages Tilly pulled clear to win in a time of 3:28.73. Sarah Whitaker also raced well in the 1100m finishing in a creditable eight place. Muireann Kelly and Nia Kelly also competed well in the Minor 500m while Elise Cusack was in the leading pack for much of the Under 16 Mile.
In the Connacht Schools Ally Duffy eased through to the All-Ireland Schools in both the 1500m and 1500m steeplechase winning.
Fayth Byrne, qualified for the U16 200m final and executed her race with great grit and determination, just falling short of a podium place to finish 4th (narrowly outside her personal best).
Carlow Track and Field Live
On Wednesday May 20th Samia Akbar travelled to SETU Carlow Campus for the Track and Field Live event, competing in the Girls U16 100m. Samia placed 3rd with an excellent new personal best.
Connacht Schools Championships
Congratulations to Lucy Champ who came away with three medals at the Connacht Schools Track & Field Championships. Representing Moate Community School, Lucy took gold in the Senior Girls 200m and bronze in the 100m. The school’s Senior Girls 4x100m relay team also claimed gold, with Ally Duffy part of the winning quartet.
Bob Heffernan & Mary Hanley 5K.
The club was represented by two members at the very popular Bob Heffernan & Mary Hanley 5K race in Enfield this evening. Kevin Minnock was back on the road once again and produced another great run just two days after his 2nd place finish in the Ashling Murphy Race. Along with Jack Donegan, they joined a very high-class field of athletes competing in the fourth race of the Peugeot Race Series which was won by John Travers of Donore Harriers in 13:45.
The course is renowned for being fast and flat, starting roughly a mile outside Johnstown bridge on the Enfield–Edenderry Road. It is a one-loop course with a fast downhill finish.
Jack finished in a super 9th place in 15:07, with Kevin hot on his heels in 15:09.
Mid Cheshire 5K.
Jack Donegan clocked 14.52 at the Mid Cheshire 5K in the UK on Friday last - 22nd May.
Jack recorded a 15 second PB - only 3 days after racing the Enfield 5K. Bottom of Form
O’Connor competes in Brussels
With her time on scholarship in the USA coming to an end, Ava O’Connor has started her track season much later than usual. On Sunday in Brussels, she lined out in the 3000m steeplechase at the IFAM meet in Brussels. This was only her second race of the 2026 outdoor season and frustratingly with no pacemaker and the temperature at 30 degrees, no one took on the pace in the early stages. Ava though raced well and came home in seventh place in 9:53.16.
Mooney and Dunne on track in Los Angeles
Maddie Mooney and James Dunne raced at the LA Track Festival in Drake Stadium on the UCLA campus on Saturday the 23rd of May. The track meet is part of the USATF Tour, a World Athletics Silver Label event and Maddie raced the 800m while James lined out in the 1500m.
Maddie has been near her best over 800m and 1500m this season and on Saturday was rewarded with a new PB of 2:02.90. This is almost half a second faster than her previous best for the distance.
After six weeks of altitude training in Flagstaff in Arizona James Dunne descended to California for his season opener for the 2026 outdoor track and field season. Dunne raced well and finished eight against a tough field running 3:39.68.
MAS 5K
Danielle Donegan clocked a personal best in the MAS 5K last evening. Competing in the German capital of Berlin, Danielle finished 4th in the ladies’ race with an excellent time of 15:54.