An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 34 | By gnR PAuRIC o'SullIvAn, PR BRAnCh PhotoS By CPl nEvIllE CoughlAn O n the 26th February 2018, two days before the country was ground down to a standstill with the force of Storm Emma, the annual Defence Forces indoor track and field championships were held in Athlone Institute of technology. In what can be only de- scribed as world-class facilities, the competitors on the day and the Defence Forces organisation were blessed to be able to host the competition in such a fantastic arena. With the country bracing itself for the storm, the numbers competing were low compared to other years but that did not take away from the quality that was on show throughout the day. Athletes of all levels were accommodated on the day and it was evident that there was a fun vibe but also you could sense the competitive edge in the air. There were four track events including 60m dash, 200m, 1500m and 4 x 200m relay race. In the field disciplines there was two events in the shot putt and long jump. What made the day interesting was the fact that the current cadet class and the current recruit platoon from Finner camp were competing and that certainly spiced up the events and made for a fantastic atmosphere as both squads were vying for the bragging rights. Proceedings got under way with the 60m dash, this is an event in which a good start out of the blocks is vital as the race is over in a matter of seconds. This event was won by Cadet Coruana and was the first in what was an absolute monopoly of triumphs. To go with her success in the 60m dash, she also won 200m, long jump and was the final leg of the 4 x 200m relay. Following a tremendous tussle and with a few moments when the crowd were gasping with the changing of the batons, the cadet class pulled away in the final 30 metres in the home straight to a rapturous cheer from their fellow classmates. Over in the field games, there was great competition in both shot putt and long jump as there was a large num- ber of competitors in both. There was a comic element to proceedings as some people tried the event out for the first time and ended up giving great entertainment for all the onlookers. In the female category Cadet Coruana came up with the goods in the long jump with a winning distance of 5.52m and Pte Byrne 6 Inf Bn claimed the hon- ours in the shot putt with a winning throw of 8.89m. Amazingly, in the male shot putt, on duty photographer for the day Cpl Neville Coughlan who is a former under- age Irish shot putt champion, decided midway during the contest to compete. With no warm up and dressed in his working attire he crept up the leaderboard and with his third and final throw landed victory with a distance of 12.89m. This was an enthralling final as three competitors were within 20 cm for the top three spots and the result went down to the final throw. Concluding the events on the day was the 1500m race. This race is a testing challenge and with 7.5 laps of the track, is a tricky race to gauge, as it is a balance of speed and stamina. After another thrilling race it came down to a battle between Cadet Duggan and Cadet O'Brien with Duggan prevailing in a time of 4.37. This year's event was a hugely successful occasion and the Defence Forces will be hoping to use this year's success as a platform to build the numbers back up and create a new buzz surrounding athletics with the organisation once more.

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