A story of many parts came to a head in a scorching hot Antrim Forum in front of a huge crowd last Saturday. The Ulster schools T&F championships is the biggest day for junior athletes. I have long held the belief that despite the discomfort there is in competing in severe heat, good performances are available for fit athletes in such conditions and we turned up on Saturday with five fit athletes! First up in the early morning was high jumper Aoibhin McKay representing New-Bridge Integrated. Aoibhin cleared 1.40 at the first attempt but narrowly missed 1.45. A real pity as a clearance at this height would have been good enough for a bronze medal. As it was Aoibhin finished in 6th place. A reward for her was a call up to a N.I. team! Next up was Aislinn Crossey, representing Sacred Heart, in the junior 800 mts. The race was fast and close with a lot of bumping and elbows and a group of six went through the bell in 70". Down the back straight and as Aislinn made her move up the inside, which is a move flirting with disaster, she got bumped off the track as the picture shows!! Her incredible balance honed through years of Irish dancing allowed her to regain the track albeit now in third place and with a lot of work to do! With 200 mts to go she took the race by the scruff of the neck and barged her way to the front! Now the race was on in earnest but Aislinn had flown the coop. Try as the pack might they could not reel in the flying Crossey and when she reached the line the clock stopped at 2'21.48"!! The new champ was ecstatic and rightly so. A new PB and just 48 hundreds of a second from a UK Athletes Grade 1 ranking! Without the excursion onto the grass she would have made it. She now moves on to the Irish schools in search of the time. After 30 mins or so to catch our breath our minor girls took to the track for their 800 mts final. I believe it to be a remarkable achievement that we managed to qualify three girls for what is the top event in Ulster. Lauren Hutchinson, Charlotte Rea and Lucy Quinn went to the line representing Sacred Heart and St Pauls. This was another top quality race which our girls had to compete successfully three times just to qualify for! The pace here was also furious but our girls stayed in the leading group throughout. Charlotte tried to make a move down the back straight but found herself boxed to the outside and was in the wrong place as the pace took off. Lucy was fighting for her place all the way round the home turn and quietly holding onto the leaders Lauren was hugging the bend. As the sprint opened Lauren was perfectly placed but was chopped by another athlete and had to shorten for a few strides and at this level it was a hard ask to recover lost ground. But Lauren is quick and has a heart like a lion! She forced her way back into the race and sprinted for her life and was rewarded with a brilliant third place, just on the heels of the front two. Without the chop off the bend who knows!! Charlotte came home a strong sixth with Lucy in eighth. Their times were also brilliant with Lauren in a 2'32", Charlotte in 2'34.8" and Lucy in 2"39". Huge PB for all. It reflects well on our club to have five athletes not just competing but competing so well on a provincial stage. A huge well done to all and to their families for taking the time to travel and support. It means a lot to our athletes.
