Double delight for Finn Valley AC as McBrearty and Slevin strike gold in Athlone

Odhran McBrearty won his first national gold medal on the track and there was a first national gold in the career of Stephen Slevin on day 3 of the National Juvenile Indoor Championships in Athlone on Saturday.

The Finn Valley AC duo were atop the podium at the TUS Arena, McBrearty winning the U19 1500m and Slevin taking gold in the U19 high jump.

McBrearty, a multiple medallist in national cross country events, broke four minutes, surging to gold in 3:58.47, lowering his personal best by five seconds in the process.

McBrearty has transitioned well from cross country to track this year and will be looking forward to the outdoor season now.

The St Columba’s College, Stranorlar student, coached by Dermot McGranaghan, śaw off Cai Lewis (Crusaders AC), who was second in 3:58.65, and Conor McGuirk (Lusk AC), who left with bronze, clocking 3:59.89.

Slevin, who is coached by his mother, Ann, arched over at 1.75m to take gold in the high jump.

Slevin, Peter Bellew (Cushinstown) and James Kelsey (Gowran) all got over 1.75m.

When the sums were analysed, Slevin, who got over on his first attempt at 1.75m, left with gold. Bellew took silver and Kelsey put bronze in his pocket.

Lifford Strabane AC’s Joseph Ike was the silver medal winner in both the U17 triple jump and shot put.

Ike took silver in the triple jump, landing at a best of 12.64m. The gold there went to Alex Collins from Lios Tuathail AC, who jumped to 12.82m.

In the shot, Ike reached out to a best distance of 13.09m, bettered only by Joshua Crosby of St Abbans AC, whose 14.11m landed gold.

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ryan Boyle was the silver medal winner in the U15 triple jump.

Boyle went out to 10.93m for silver with Dundalk St Gerard AC’s Calvin McCourt winning gold, going to 11.18m.

Alanna Anderson of Tir Chonaill AC took bronze in the U19 high jump and shot put.

Anderson got over at 1.55m in the high jump, beaten by Meabh Purtill from Dooneen AC to silver on a countback with Lauryn Healy from Dundrum South Dublin taking gold thanks to a 1.60m jump. 

Anderson took shot put bronze through a 9.53m throw in an event where gold went to Blarney/Inniscara’s Meabh O”Donnell, who threw a 11.86m shot.

Cabrini Pyne from Lifford-Strabane AC threw to 11.30pm for bronze in the U17 girls shot put while Spencer Cole’s 14.64m earned the Lifford-Strabane AC teen bronze in the U18 shot.

Finn Valley AC’s U13 boys earned 4x200m relay bronze. Miller McCrossan, Ruairi Moss, Shay McHugh and Zach McKinley finished in 1:55.65 for third in an event won in a new championship best performance by Metro/St Brigid’s AC in 1:53.50.

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Letterkenny AC were just a place off bronze in the U18 boys 4x200m relay. Daragh Naughton, Brendan Ndamira, Stanislous Stan Mako and Thalji Al Daher clocked 1:37.23 to place fourth.

In the U12 high jump, Isa Bonner from Rosses AC was fifth, going over at 1.20m and narrowly missing a medal.

It was a similar story for Ceola McGlinchey of Finn Valley AC, who placed fifth in the U13 high jump, her 1.35m leap just 0.03m from a medal place.

Olympian YAC’s Kellie Carey was sixth in the U17 triple jump with a 10.05m effort while Jacoby McHugh from Tir Chonaill AC was eighth in the U17 shot with a 11.34m throw.

In the U16 1500, Cranford AC lad Ewan Summers was eighth in 4:36.63.

In the U12 boys 4x200m relay, Finn Valley AC were fifth in their heat, the team of Byron Boyle, Harry Houston, Darragh Irwin and Luke Scanlan clocking 2:03.50. 

It was a similar placing for the Finn Valley AC U12 girls - Erin Moy, Eimear Moy, Caitlin Gillespie and Annie O’Mahony finishing in 2:10.26 - the U15 girls - Jasmine Barrett-Doherty, Caoimhe McNeill, Ciara McCusker and Aoibhinn Greene, who finished in 1:58.41 - and U13 girls Fiadh Venzon, Eve Maguire, Fia McNulty and Ceola McGlinchey, who clocked 2:02.66.