14 Waterford athletes head to the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Dublin this weekend for two days of competition at the 2023 National Senior Indoor Championships.
Club mates Andrew Connick and Jake Bagge will be the first to take to the track on Saturday for the 800m heats. The Ferrybank pair will be out from 12.20 pm with the view to qualifying for the final on Sunday at 2.35 pm.
The 3000m walk final is up next at 12.45 pm with two West Waterford club members aiming for gold, while one is hoping to add one more title to an already swelled cabinet. Doireann Hickey will be aiming to upset the odds in the field of seven, while Kate Veale is on course to make it 6 straight senior indoor titles in the event.
If she can cross the line first, it would make it 20 national senior titles in total having picked up her first in 2016 at 16 years old. All eyes will be trained o Kate this Saturday, having smashed the indoor records in the Munster Championships last weekend.
Both Colum O' Carroll and Eoin Kenny of Waterford Athletics club head for the 400m heats at 1.55 pm.
Paula Igge goes in three events this weekend, with the 60m hurdles first up on Saturday afternoon. She is joined in the heats by Ferrybank clubmate Katie Nolke.
West Waterford's Pat Hennessy is the only Déise athlete entered in the field of 43 for the 3000m. The final is underway at 2.45 pm.
There is then a significant break until the Waterford athletes are back in action in the afternoon. Next up is the women's 60m hurdles final where both Paula Igwe and Katie Nolke will have plans to challenge for medals, providing they have come through the heats earlier in the day.
Rounding out the day's action is the men's 400m semi-finals where Colum Caroll and Eoin Kenny will have designs on being in the second to last round.
There is no Waterford representation on the track on Saturday.
On Sunday, the men's 60m heats get the ball rolling at 11.00 am. Eoin Kenny wears the Waterford AC singlet here with Shane Monagle of Tramore joining him. Both could be facing a quick turnaround for the semi-finals at 12.50 pm, before the final is underway at 2.10 pm.
The women's 60m semi kicks off at 12.30 pm with two Ferrybank representatives included; Niamh Whelan and Pala Igwe. If they qualify, they will then have an hour and a half to get ready for the final at 2.00 pm.
The 400m men's semi-finals will have already taken place on Saturday, but providing they qualify for the decider, both Colum Caroll and Eoin Kenny could find themselves in medal contention in the final at 1.45 pm.
Lucy Holmes of West Waterford is the only Waterford entrant in the 800m women's final at 2.25 pm, while we potentially have two Waterford runners in the men's final at 2.35 pm. That is if Ferrybank's Andrew Connick and Jake Bagge can secure passage from Saturday's heats.
On the track side of things, while there is nobody from Waterford in action on Sunday, there is plenty to follow on Sunday.
Both Katie Nolke and Paula Igew will go in the long jump from 11 am. Evan Hayes of Waterford Athletics Club is the county's only entrant in the triple jump at 1.00 pm.
