{"id":1913,"date":"2017-07-24T23:17:14","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T23:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rahenyshamrock.ie\/?p=1913"},"modified":"2017-07-26T01:09:23","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T01:09:23","slug":"dooney-and-dooney-championship-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rahenyshamrock.ie\/?p=1913","title":{"rendered":"Dooney and Dooney Championship Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dooney and Dooney are the names tied to the 2017 Irish Life Health National Track & Field Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday afternoon it was the Kevin Dooney hour when he produced an explosive final lap to land his first national title in the 10,000 metres with Mick Clohisey second.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sunday it was the Conor Dooney hour as the elder Dooney produced a piece of distance front running\u00a0to claim the 5,000 metre title and ensure Raheny Shamrock as the top distance running club in Ireland.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it is on that first day of national senior championship competition we start, Saturday July 22nd<\/span><\/sup> 2017 and a nice day in the Morton Stadium.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The day would start very well, Liam Sheehan runs a 200 metres personal best of 23.95 seconds to get us up and running.<\/span><\/p>\n

In heat one of the men\u2019s 800 metres double European medal Mark English wins as expected in 1:53.35 with Brian Fay securing automatic passage to Sunday\u2019s final in second place in 1:53.81.<\/span><\/p>\n

In heat two national indoor champion Kieran Kelly gets his championship off to victory in 1:56.99.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 1500 metre heats continue in this style Daniel Scully takes sixth place in heat one in 3:58.74 and Eoin Strutt finishes second in heat two in 3:57.16. Both progress to Sunday\u2019s final.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aisling Drumgoole finishes third in heat two of the 400 metres in 56.48 seconds, progressing automatically to Sunday\u2019s final.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aoibhinn McGoldrick posts 62.29 seconds for fifth in heat one a good charge from a young athlete. Jamie Sheridan similarly in heat two of the men\u2019s event, finishing fourth in 51.81 seconds more to follow in the years ahead for both athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the triple jump Matthew Cotter\u2019s best jump of 12.85 metres sees him finish fifth.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the day is finishing the reintroduced 5,000 metres heats bring some intrigue back to the event and questions the wisdom of the Athletics Ireland suits who decided on their abandonment for a graded race in the previous years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat one see\u2019s no messing from Mike McCabe, taking the bull by the horns to win in 15 minutes 25.27 seconds. Conor Dooney takes fifth place in 15:26.94 and passage with McCabe to Sunday\u2019s final.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the faster second heat Daire Bermingham finishes fourth in 15:04.16 making sure there are three Raheny vests on the line in the final.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the middle of this, 3pm was high noon as 25 men set out upon 25 laps of the track Kevin Dooney and London 2017 bound Mick Clohisey on the line!<\/span><\/p>\n

Clohisey winner in 2014 is the one all 25 have eyes on, the Olympian goes to the front of the race, quality and pedigree respected.<\/span><\/p>\n

It ticks down and down eventually it\u2019s Clohisey, Dooney and Kevin Mansuell of Clonmel battling it out for the podium places, before long it\u2019s a two horse Raheny race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dooney shadow boxes Clohisey as he make\u2019s through the final mile and then bang\u2026Dooney makes an explosion of pace before the bell and Clohisey with marathon training weighing in his legs can\u2019t respond.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gold Kevin Dooney 29 minutes 30.16, silver Mick Clohisey 29 minutes 35.66 and who cares who was third!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pat Hooper presents Dooney & Clohisey’s medals<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the 58th<\/span><\/sup> time a Raheny Shamrock athlete is awarded a national championship gold medal and Kevin Dooney becomes the third Raheny Shamrock man in 11 years to win the 10,000 metre title.<\/span><\/p>\n

So Sunday July 23rd<\/span><\/sup> dawns, a late start this year as the national broadcaster will affix eyes onto the sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eoin O\u2019Dwyer is first in action, fifth in the junior 3,000 metres in 9:13.41, more will follow from this young man in this arena.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sean O\u2019Driscoll is next up, bang in the heat five of the 100 metres, bang with the win, 10.78 seconds and straight through to the live TV final.<\/span><\/p>\n

O\u2019Driscoll performs strongly, sixth place overall in 10.78 seconds for the record Clonliffe\u2019s Jeremy Phillips is the winner in 10.39 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just before the live TV Camera\u2019s Conor Dooney trots out for the 5,000 metre final 12 and a half laps of the track.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dooney binds his time for less than half of the race before etching a lead and this time Dooney C has no company, it\u2019s the Conor Dooney show all that left is for the clock to record his gold medal victory at 14 minutes 25.60 seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Daire Bermingham battles hard to a defiant fifth place finish in 14 minutes 56.78 seconds, Mike McCabe finishes 11th<\/span><\/sup> in 15:22.38.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conor Dooney collects the 59th<\/span><\/sup> national senior title awarded to a Raheny Shamrock member and the first over 5,000 metres.<\/span><\/p>\n

The TV Camera\u2019s flick on, the legendary commentator George Hamiliton has special mention for one Kieran Kelly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Plenty of argy-bargy as Mark English wins them 800m national title! It's worth a watch. Live action on @RTE2<\/a> and @RTEPlayer<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bHhkftdaDc<\/a><\/p>\n

— RT\u00c9 Sport (@RTEsport) July 23, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n