Championship record for Caolan McFadden as Donegal athletes shine in Tullamore

On a weekend of medal mania for Donegal athletes in Tullamore, Caolan McFadden grabbed gold with a new championship record.

Day 1 and 2 of the National Juvenile Championships saw a raft of medals return to Donegal clubs, including golds for McFadden, Letterkenny AC’s Harry McIlwaine, Tir Chonaill AC’s Melissa Ward and Lifford-Strabane AC athletes Caoimhe Gallen, Clara Mullen and Cabrini Pyne.

Cranford AC’s McFadden sped to his latest national gold when winning the U19 800m.

Before the weekend, Donore Harriers AC’s Louis O’Loughlin held the previous Championship best of 1:52.58.

However, McFadden wiped that mark out when clocking 1:51.53. The Creeslough native won from Midleton AC’s Odhran O’Sullivan (1:52.09) and St Abbans AC’s John Delaney (1:54.27).

In-form Letterkenny AC sprinter Harry McIlwaine topped the charts in the U17 100m.

McIlwaine won in 11.09 seconds, the Royal and Prior scholar pipping Belgooley AC’s Chucks Onyeka (11.47) and Tallaght AC sprinter Abdullahi Adeleke (11.52) - younger brother of Irish athletics star Rhasidat Adeleke. 

The Kathryn McDevitt-coached McIlwaine won his heat in 11.25 seconds.

Tir Chonaill AC’s Ward took gold in the U15 hammer, reaching out to 41.53m to get the better of Finisk Valley’s Alyssa Ferguson. Ward added silver in the discus, throwing a best of 26.97m in an event won by Ella Hanlon from Suncroft AC, who threw to 32.91m.

Gallen is no stranger to the podium’s top step and the Lifford-Strabane AC athlete won the U19 hammer, reaching to a best throw of 52.78m. Gallen won from Lagan Valley’s Aida Zukauskaite, who had a best effort of 47.42m.

Gallen landed silver in the discus, her throw of 34.54m bested only by Crookstown Millview athlete Cara Wright, who took gold thanks to a 37.89m throw.

Caoimhe Gallen on the podium at the weekend

Mullen won gold in the U19 triple jump, leaping to 10.59m, edging out Leevale’s Tara Cronin by just 0.08m while she narrowly missed a medal in the 100m hurdles, going 16.46 seconds for fourth. 

Pyne won the U16 javelin. The St Johnston teenager and Lifford-Strabane AC athlete won with a 34.05m throw, beating competition from Erris AC’s Niamh Walsh, whose furthest effort went to 32.14m. Pyne was fifth in the shot and sixth in the 60m hurdles.

Finn Valley AC’s Amy Timoney earned a silver and bronze from her weekend’s work - landing a new FVAC club record in the 100m hurdles.

In the U19 100m hurdles final, Timoney clocked a new PB and Finn Valley AC club record of 14.32 seconds to win silver. The time was actually under the previous championship best (14.38), but so too was the time of the winner, Abigail Farrell who won in 14.15.

Timoney, coached by Shauna Carlin, also picked up a bronze in the U19 100m when crossing the line in 12.49 seconds. 

Letterkenny AC’s Emma Bonar collected silver in the U18 800m. Bonar clocked 2:212.29 and was beaten only by Foyle Valley’s Ciara Casey, the race winner in 2:11.82, with the Donegal woman seeing off Ava Diver from Beechmount Harriers, who was the bronze medal winner in 2:14.74.

Eli Duffy of Rosses AC was the silver medallist in the U15 javelin (41.04m) while Evan Ward, also of Rosses AC, won silver in the U15 high jump (1.69m), the latter beaten to gold by only 0.03m.

Caoimhe McGonagle of Rosses AC cleared 1.58m for silver in the U15 high jump, losing out only on a count back to Ava Wilson from Bree AC. McGonagle was also fifth in the shot.

There was silver, too, for Tir Chonaill AC’s Jamie Kennedy in the U19 triple jump, leaping to 12.80m and missing out to Loughrea’s Darragh Fahy, who won with a 14.02m jump, while Maeve McGeehin of Olympian YAC took javelin silver at U15 level, throwing to 32.33m, a throw that was bettered by Lake District AC’s Sophia Place’s 33.37m attempt. 

Olympian’s Briana Doherty sprinted to a silver in the U15 100m. Doherty finished second in her heat in 12.95 seconds and followed up during heavy rain on a rain-sodden track with another second-place in the final, crossing the line in 12.98, only beaten by Adaora Nnaemeka of Bandon AC in 12.72.

Letterkenny AC's Harry McIlwaine was a gold medal winner

Leah O’Gara of Finn Valley AC secured silver in the U17 3000m race walk, crossing the line in 16:10.04 while her club-mate Paraic McGettigan surged to his first national individual medal when running 5:30.77 to earn the Ballybofey lad the bronze medal in the U18 2000m steeplechase. 

Cranford AC’s Michael Moore landed bronze in the U18 800m when finishing in 1:57.02, the race won by Donore’s Liam Morris in 1:55.36 with United Striders’ Joseph O’Connor second in 1:56.56. Moore reached the 400m final, finishing in eighth spot.

Rosses AC’s Rosie Breslin was the bronze medalist in the U13 high jump (1.41m) and her club colleague Cianan Greene left with bronze from the U15 shot (12.21m).

Olympian YAC’s Maeve McGeehin (U15 hammer, 35.11m), Martin Corbett (U16 triple, 11.38m) and Aoife McGeehin (U17 discus, 28.68m) all left with bronze medals from their respective events. 

In the U14 2000m walk Reuben O Domhnaill of Letterkenny AC was third in 11:33.01.

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Several athletes finish fourth and narrowly missed medals, including LAC’s Brendan Ndambira in the U16 100m, Tir Chonaill AC’s Jacoby McHugh (U16 discus), Aaliyah Gallagher Canavan of Rosses (U14 shot), LAC’s Clodagh Gallagher (U16 high jump) and Lifford-Strabane AC athletes Eamon Pyne (U14 hammer and javelin), Sandy Millie (U15 javelin and shot), Joseph Ike (U16 shot), Danielle Doherty (U16 discus) and Spencer Cole (U17 discus),