Harry McIlwaine lands significant gold at Tailteann Games

Harry McIlwaine roared to gold at the Tailteann Games in Carlow.

On Saturday afternoon, McIlwaine, a scholar at the Royal and Prior in Raphoe who runs out of Letterkenny AC, won gold in the 100m and added a silver in the 200m.

At the SETU Campus in Carlow, McIlwaine landed a significant win in the 100m, grabbing the gold in 10.77 seconds.

McIlwaine won from Matias Qaglia of Kilkenny College (10.78) and Philip Offorjama from Athlone Community College (10.99).

The Tailteann Games are the schools inter-provincial championships.

Qaglia stopped the clock at 21.60 seconds to win the 200m with Jack O’Connor third in 22.18.

In between, McIlwaine ran his first sub-22 race when crossing the line in 21.61.

There were bronze medals for Finn Valley AC pair Leah O’Gara and Paraic McGettigan.

Loreto Secondary School pupil O’Gara was third in the 3000m walk, finishing in 16:10.98. 

Pearl Sands from Castlebar won gold in 15:48.62 while Aoife Martin from Munster was second in 15:58.67 ahead of O’Gara.

In the 1500m steeplechase, McGettigan was third in 4:43.60.

The St Columba’s College, Stranorlar student was behind Patrick Duffy from Tullamore (4:33.87) and Ronan Kearney from Newbridge (4:36.89), who wee also on the podium.

Aoife McGeehan, a Loreto pupil who competes for Olympian YAC, was fourth in the javelin, throwing a best of 38.75m sixth in the discus, reaching to 27.18m.

Lifford-Strabane AC athlete Kayla Russell, of Strabane Academy, was fifth in the 80m hurdles, a place ahead of Maeve Doherty of LAC and Loreto Secondary School.

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In the 200m, Jessica Gavin, of Finn Valley AC and Holy Cross Strabane, was sixth. 

In the long jump, Russell was ninth and Finn Valley AC athlete Leona Slevin, who attends St Columba’s College in Stranorlar, was 10th while Iona MacGabhann form LAC and Loreto was 11th in the race walk.