Leinster records for Murphy, Granjo and Sawyer
Sofia Granjo earned double championship records and a World U20 qualifying standard.
Fewer occasions bring more joy than breaking a “magic” barrier, breaking a record or setting a new personal best. At the Leinster senior track and field last Sunday Adam Murphy (Tinryland AC) managed all three. Dipping under 21 seconds for the 200m for the first time ever, the Tinryland star set a new Leinster record and personal best.
In the u20 400m Sofia Granjo (St Laurence O’Toole) performed pretty much the same feat. Granjo broke the 55 second barrier for the first time, smashed the Leinster u20 record and set a new personal best.
As if one record was not enough, Granjo set another new record in the 200m the following day, recording a time of 24.00 flat. This equals the qualifying standard for the World u20 championships to be held in Oregon later this summer.
It was a week of records. Jennifer Sawyer got her Leinster’s off to a good start with a personal best in the 400m on Saturday – a warm up to her record breaking performance in the 400m hurdles on Sunday.
The masters athletes were also in record breaking performance as Anna Sudergath broke the over 55 Long Jump record. Willie O’Toole set a new over 75 triple jump distance. Keith Pollard broke down the over 45 200m barriers and Deirdre Doyle set a new mark in the over 35 800m.
Earlier in the week St Leo’s Secondary School set a new Leinster Junior schools relay record with two St Laurence O’Toole athletes on the quartet (Ava Broderick and Emily Kidd). Minor athlete Libby Harris-Byrne broke the 33 year old record in the 75m hurdles.
The Leinster schools produced nine individual gold medals and two gold relay medal winning teams, cumulating in 20 individual Carlow club athletes and 3 relay teams booking their tickets to the All-Ireland schools this weekend.
In Belgium Bobby Crowley set yet another personal best in the 1500m of 3.44.15 in what was one of the highest ever entries in take.
Speaking with Adam Murphy a month ago, he expressed satisfaction that training was going well and he felt “this year was going to be good”. On his 30th birthday he had already opened up his track season with his fastest ever season opener in Belfast. The following day in a wind assisted race, he secured yet another fast 200m time.
Faced with the choice of going to the IFAM meet in Belgium like many of his contemporaries, Murphy opted instead to compete on home territory at his local track in Carlow. It was a decision he would not regret.
On day two of the championships, two days seared with heat, Murphy stormed to victory in the second of the three 200m heats. Marcus Lawler had already won the first heat with a time of 21.21 seconds smashing the Leinster record he had set last year by eight hundredths of a second. A huge effort considering his niggling Achilles tendon.
Moments later that new record was short lived as Murphy lowered it by a further five hundredths of a second to 21.16. The Carlow crowd was buzzing. Unfortunately Lawler had to withdraw from the final leaving Murphy to attempt further in-roads onto the record slaughter.
With the wind within the legal limit, a warm sun and the local home crowd, the conditions were perfect. Running a good bend, Murphy exploded onto the home straight to smash not only the record for the third time that afternoon but to dip under the 21 second barrier for the first time ever. His time of 20.87 seconds moves Murphy into third on the 2026 top list for Ireland. Lawler’s season debut places him 7th.
Sofia Granjo (SLOT) announced her arrival as a serious 400m contender at this years Irish Indoor championships. Surprising many by her medal winning endeavours over 400m and the constant lowering of her 400m personal best, she is no longer the unknown. A month ago Granjo and clubmate Cassie O’Byrne were selected as part of the Irish 4x400m relay squad to join the pathway programme for warm weather training in Spain. Clearly the training has paid off as Granjo crossed the line to take the Leinster gold medal in a time of 54.46 seconds.
Clearly ecstatic if not a little surprised by her time, her “I do not know where that came from” reflected her lack of realisation of how good she has become over the past year. Her time now moves her to third best on the u20 Irish list for this year, reposition her with a strong possibility of attaining the World u20 400m standard of 54.20 seconds. Granjo meanwhile took another gold, winning the u20 200m in 24.00 another new championship record. More importantly, she equalled the qualifying standard for the World u20 championships to be held in Oregon in August.
Clubmate Jennifer Sawyer took silver in the senior 400m with a personal best of 56.03 seconds. The standard of 400m running amongst the St Laurence O’Toole ladies is certainly rising. Sawyer took gold in the 400m hurdles running a new personal best of 1.00.80 seconds. A time which broke the existing Leinster championship record.
The Carlow masters were also in good form as four records tumbled with their feats. Anna Sudergath leaped 4.27m as she claimed gold in the over 55 long jump, surpassing the old mark by 7cm. Willie O’Toole has thrown shot putts, hammers and tried his hand at a plethora of other events. Last weekend aged over 75, he recorded a best of 6.80m in the triple jump, surpassing the old mark by 4 meters.
Keith Pollard was on fire at the weekend. Winning the over 45 100m from clubmate Niall Murphy, he set a new personal best of 11.95. A warm up for his record breaking feat over 200m on Sunday. Pollard took the 200m by storm recording a personal best of 23.78 and a new over 45 200m championship record.
The final record breaking performance belongs to Deirdre Doyle. Doyle recorded a time of 2:21.68 to set a new over 35 800m record.
In general it was a good Leinster u20, Senior and Masters Championships for Carlow athletes. Aside for breaking three u20/senior championship records, there were a host of excellent performances and promising prospects. A total of 37 medals were won: 26 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze.
For St Pats, Erika O’Grady made her u20 entrance with a fourth place finish in the 1,500m. Emily Bolger (Barrow Valley) took part in the u20 100m with Pat Savage competing in the masters 100m. Bobby Byrne (Ballon) recorded a personal best as he took the masters over 40 400m title. Adam Murphy spearheading the Tinryland entries.
St Laurence O’Toole of course constituted the highest Carlow entry. Sive O’Toole made a welcome return to competition finishing 3rd in a star studded senior ladies race. An early season injury during the indoors sidelining her from competition for the past few months. There were significant wins from Eanna Duincan in the u20 100m with a personal best of 10.26. Dylan Byrne had a convincing victory in the u20 1500m with Aaron Shorten winning the 800m in a season’s best. A gold from Isabelle McCormack in the u20 javelin and Darragh Corcoran in the u20 discus. Matthew Callinan Keenan took the senior pole vault title.
The masters athletes were on fire with gold medals for Keith Pollard, Niall Murphy, David Hayde, Willie O’Toole and Alan Byrne on the Saturday. Sunday saw more masters medals, this time from: Deirdre Doyle, David Kidd and Andrew Kepple along with Pollard, Hayde and O’Toole added more gold to their already large pot.
20 Carlow club athletes have qualified for individual events for this weekend’s All-Ireland Schools Track and field, along with three relay teams. At the top of the list St Leo’s junior girls team took down the Leinster 4x100m record with two SLOT girls on the team: Ava Broderick and Emily Kidd. These girls could challenge a strong St Angela’s team from Waterford for the top podium position in Tullamore next weekend.
Libby Harris-Byrne (Presentation College Carlow) delivered a sensational performance in the Minor Girls 75m Hurdles, breaking the 33 year old championship record with her time of 11.57. Libby joined Anna Dillon on the Presentation 4x100m relay that also secured gold. Ava Broderick (St. Leo’s) returning from injury announced her comeback with a gold in the junior girls 100m. Broderick and Emily Kidd were members of the St Leo’s record breaking Junior 4x100m relay team. Alana Callinan (Tyndall College), cleared a personal best of 2.45m to win the Junior Girls Pole Vault title, joining Jack Wickham (Presentation College) who won the senior boys pole vault.
Billy Og Forde will represent the Presentation DLS Bagnalstown in the minor Long Jump with Harry Butcher the gold medal winner in the junior boys, also flying the schools flag. Lucy Malone finished 3rd in the u16 mile. The Ballon/Rathoe athlete thus booked her ticket for this weekend’s all-irelands.
Sofia Granjo had a convincing victory in the senior 400m as did Cassie O’Byrne in the senior 200m. Daragh Corcoran (Tullow C.S.) despite carrying an injury, took the Senior Boys Discus title with a best throw of 44.20m. The team of Chloe Ryan, Sofia Granjo, Niamh O’Shea and Noza Siziba (Presentation College Carlow), claimed gold in the Senior Girls 4x100m. Abby Keppel (Tullow SC) won the u16 girls shot from Royahnot Oladumeji (St Leo’s).
Robert Crowley may have opened his 2026 track season less than two weeks ago, but in that time he had made an impact. Racing at the IFAM meet in Belgium last weekend, the SLOT athlete set another personal best. Crowley competed in the 1,500m one of over 180 athletes who checked in to start.
The UK-based Carlow native clocked a time of 3.44.15 to shave over 2 seconds off his previous best set two weeks ago at the Traford edition of the BMC meet. With his season just warming up, we can expect further improvements over the coming weeks and months.
