Donegal athletes medal at European Masters Championships in Madeira

Donegal athletes Pauric McKinney, Catriona Devine and Kay Byrne have secured medals at the European Masters Athletics Championships.

In Madeira, McKinney won a cross country gold on Sunday while Devine scooped 1500m bronze and Byrne led Ireland to a team silver in the cross country.

McKinney of Inishowen AC won gold in the M60 category in the 8km cross country.

In the overall positions, McKinney was third and behind only Joaquim Figueiredo from Portugal and Thierry Lippi of France.

McKinney was in command of the M60 category, taking gold ahead of Britain’s Chris Upson with Angel Suarez from Spain in third.

This was McKinney’s first appearance at these Championships and he still has the 10k road race and 5000m pencilled in.

Devine earned a super bronze on the track in the W50 1500m.

The Finn Valley AC woman was third behind only Sandrine Host of Belgium and Italian athlete Lara Gaultieri.

Also in the 8km cross country, Finn Valley AC’s Byrne guided Ireland W60 to team silver. The Ballybofey native was sixth in her category and joined by Anne Hegarty and Anne Gormley to take Ireland to the team silver with Sweden winning gold.

The margins were tight with Byrne only 1.33 seconds off the Swedish athlete Marie Olsson, who was second in a race won by Austria’s Sabine Hofer.

Byrne also has entered for the 10k road race, half marathon road race and the 5000m.

Rosses AC’s Aidan Gillespie reached the M50 100m hurdles final, placing seventh in 15.67 seconds after going 16.17 seconds in his heat.

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Brian Boyce of Milford AC placed seventh in the M45 400m, clocking 53.97 seconds and still has the 200m to come while Shane Toolan of Tir Chonaill AC was fifth in a M65 100m heat and is also punched in for the 200m.

Barry Mackey from Letterkenny AC was 26th M60 in the 8km cross country.