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CLONLIFFE HARRIERS is very proud of the achievements of its members. In this report we have Colm Rooney winning the 2002 Great North Run Men's Junior Mile in October. Dubliner Colm Rooney went some way towards making up for the disappointment of failing to make Ireland's world junior Championship team by holding off the challenge of local lad Chris Parr to claim the biggest win of his life. The Clonliffe Harrier bided his time and outkicked Parr, the Gateshead Harrier, over the final 200m to lift the inaugural running of the title in 4:14.00, the same time as John Mayock recorded in finishing 6th in the senior race.
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 Colm Rooney Winning |
 Early in the race |
A delighted Rooney said: "It's unbelievable, winning is more than I could have hoped for". "I was really disappointed to just miss out on the World Junior qualification mark for 800m by half a second". "I felt strong at half-way but I knew as the home straight was 400m long here, I had to be patient". |
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The Peter McDermot-coached athlete, who finished second in the 1500m in the Irish Junior Championships, is now looking forward to the Cross-country season. But it was disappointment for Parr, who won last year's Junior GNR, as he was hoping to use his local knowledge to pull off a popular home win. "I sometimes train on the course and I know the wind blows down the course", he remarked. "The home support was great and I am not too disappointed because I am only 17 and younger than many of the other runners". World Junior Steeplechase finalist Stephen Murphy (Shaftsbury Barnett) won the battle for third holding off the challenge of Northern Ireland's 1500m Junior Champion, Dominic McAllister. |