Medals in the sun for Donegal athletes on final day of National Juvenile Championships

Sunshine and medals glistened for Donegal athletes in Tullamore on Saturday.

The curtain came down on the National Juvenile Championships with day three bringing further medal glory to Donegal.

The highlights in red hot temperatures came via gold medals for Harry McIlwaine, Riona Doherty, Caoimhe Gallen and Caolan McFadden.

It has been a breakout campaign for Letterkenny AC’s McIlwaine and the Royal and Prior scholar added the U17 200m gold to his sideboard.

McIlwaine surged to gold in 21.66 seconds, wining from Luis Blinco of Metro/St Brigid’s AC, who took silver in 21.70, and Ewan Donald, whose 22.02 run earned the Orangegrove AC athlete the bronze.

Earlier in these championships, McIlwaine, out of Kathryn McDevitt’s sprint class, won the 100m, grabbing gold thee in 11.09 seconds.

Doherty has returned from injury in excellent fashion in recent weeks - and the Finn Valley AC woman climbed onto the top step of the podium again on Saturday.

Doherty won the U19 long jump and added a new personal best for good measure. Doherty’s 5.74m leap represents a new personal milestone and added another gold to her own collection in the process.

Doherty’s nearest challengers were Katie Deverell, the hometown athlete from Tullamore AC (5.44m) and Bandon AC’s Aoife Callan (5.33m).

Last weekend, Doherty went to 5.67m to take the U20 long jump gold having won an Irish schools gold earlier in the summer.

Riona Doherty with proud parents Noel and Maggie

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Gallen won the U19 shot when throwing a best of 11.87m.

That came a week after Gallen won the U20 shot put and hammer titles while she has also won the U19 hammer at these Championships.

McFadden clocked 3:58.34 to win the U19 1500m crown. The Cranford AC athlete won ahead of Jamie Wallace from Mullingar (3:59.39) and Nenagh Olympic’s Diarmuid Maloney (4:00.94).

The previous weekend, McFadden was the U20 bronze medallist over 800m having bagged the U19 800m gold thanks to a Championship best 1:51.53.

There were silver medals for Katie Elliott (Letterkenny AC), Aoife McGeehin (Olympian YAC), Emily Kelly (Tir Chonaill AC) and Oisin Gillespie (Rosses AC).

Kelly finished in 1:02.39 for silver in the U18 400m hurdles with Lauren Kilduff from Craughwell AC winning gold in 1:00.33.

McGeehin threw a best of 40.08m to take second spot in the U17 javelin, an event won by Dooneen’s Emer Purtill with a 45.89m throw.

Elliott went over at 1.55m for silver in the U18 high jump, while Gillespie got over at 1.80m to take U17 high jump silver, beaten only on a countback by Clongriffin AC’s Patrick Pucek.

Just behind Gillespie was Joe Wright of Finn Valley AC, the athletics newcomer taking bronze thanks to a 1.75m jump.

Stephen Slevin, also of Finn Valley AC, was the U18 high jump bronze medal winner, going over 1.75m with 1.80m clearances giving gold and silver to James Kelsey of Gowran and Donore athlete Leon Nwedo.

Spencer Cole from Lifford-Strabane AC threw out to 13.56m for bronze in the U17 shot, Briana Doherty of Olympian YAC took silver in the U15 200m in 25.63 seconds and Ace Rodriguez from Finn Valley AC jumped 6.07m for bronze in the U19 long jump.

Letterkenny AC’s Sarah O’Keeney landed bronze in the U17 triple when going out to 10.48m and LAC sprinter Brendan Ndambira finished in 22.67 seconds for the bronze over 200m in the U16 category.