Double gold for Gallen as McFadden lays down new PB at Irish Schools Championships

On a day when Caoimhe Gallen brought home two golds, Caolan McFadden lowered his 800m best as Donegal athletes impressed at the Irish Schools Track and Field Championships on Saturday.

At Tullamore, there were also impressive golds for Riona Doherty and Oirghiall Curran.

McFadden added another national gold to a rising collection thanks to a new personal best.

The Cranford AC star, a student at Loreto, Milford, ran a superb race to clock 1:51.98 to take gold from Matthew Fitzpatrick from Dundalk (1:52.22) and Cork scholar Odhrán O’Sullivan (1:52.70)

McFadden will be aiming to impress in the Irish singlet this summer and this latest time takes down his previous best of 1:52.98,

Gallen landed gold in the girls shot put and hammer events. Gallen, a St Columba’s College Stranorlar student, out of Lifford-Strabane AC, went to a best of 11.71m, on her third visit, to top the chart.

A throw of 51.11m secured the gold in the hammer, that throw coming on her fourth attempt and making sure she was a comfortable victor.

Her fellow St Columba’s College pupil Doherty was the winner of the senior long jump. The Finn Valley AC athlete jumped a best of 5.55m, edging Katie Deverell on a count back. Doherty has had some injury trouble in the recent past, but a return top the podium’s top step at a national championships represents a significant marker.

Her club-mate at Finn Valley, Katie Louise McMonagle or Gairmscoil Chu Uladh, was the senior long jump bronze medal winner, jumping to 5.63m.

There was a super gold for Curran of Moville Community College, who took the spoils in the minor 800m. Curran, who runs with City of Derry Spartans, finished in 2:11.08, staying off Conor Martin (2:11.41) and Ryan McMahon (2:11.48) for the gold.

Odhran McBrearty took silver in the intermediate 3000m. The St Columba’s College student finished in 8:47.25.

The Finn Valley AC ace was edged to gold by old foe Harry McKenzie, the Enniskillen teen going through in 8:44.40. McBrearty outfought Luke Kerrigan from Glanmire, who crossed the line in third in 8:48.56.

Finn Valley AC’s Darcie Clarke, who attends Lumen Christi in Derry, was second in the minor 800m, finishing in 2:21.92. 

Jamie Kennedy of Abbey Vocational School earned silver in the senior triple jump, the Tir Chonaill AC athlete touching the sand at 13.43m and beaten only by Darragh Fahy of Loughrea, who went to a best of 14m.

Loreto, Letterkenny’s Emma Bonar was third in the senior 800m, the Letterkenny AC athlete coming through in 2:12 - and just missing out on a silver medal. 

Bonar’s school-mate Clodagh Gallagher was third in the junior high jump, clearing 1.60m - in an event won with a 1.63m leap - while Aoife McGeehin, also a student at Loreto, bagged third in the intermediate javelin, going out to 37.89m.

Read next: Record-breaker: Mark English sets new Irish 800m record to win in Poland

LAC athlete Harry McElwaine finished third in the intermediate 200m, the Royal and Prior student clocking 22.12 seconds.

Rosses Community School woman Amy Timoney grabbed bronze in the senior 100m hurdles. Timoney, attached to Finn Valley AC, finished in 14.36 seconds to get a spot on the podium.

St Columba’s College’s Paraic McGettigan, a Finn Valley AC runner, narrowly missed a podium spot when finishing fourth in the intermediate 1500m steeplechase in 4:36.99 and Emily Kelly, of St Columba’s College and Tir Chonaill AC, was fourth in the senior 400m hurdles in 1:04.09.