New Donegal athletics records for Ethan Dewhirst and Oisín Ó Gailín

Ethan Dewhirst and Oisín Ó Gailín have clocked new Donegal 400m hurdles and 5000m records.

In breaking the previous county best over the one-lap barriers, Tir Chonaill AC’s Ethan Dewhirst also hit a World U20 qualification mark.

Competing at the Loughborough Open, Dewhirst went around in a swift 50.81 seconds.

He was second in the race behind only British athlete Onyeka Okoh, who won in 50.68 seconds. 

Dewhirst’s time at the Paula Radcliffe Stadium was inside the World U20 mark with those global championships taking place in Eugene, Oregon in August.

Dewhirst also took the county record in the event, which had been held by his older brother, Fintan, who set a 51.19-second time in Santry two years ago.

Ethan Dewhirst’s previous personal best was 52.14 from Lisbon last June while his new time puts him sixth on the Irish all-time list.

Finn Valley AC’s Ó Gailín clocked a significant new record in the United States.

The Ballybofey man finished in 3:37.14 over 5000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational, held at Cougar Stadium in California. 

He broke his own 13:41.69, which he clocked last April in Palo Alto, California.

In doing so, he became the first Donegal athlete to dip under 13:40 and his race included a 58-second last lap.

At the Irish Universities Championships in Cork, Fintan Dewhirst won gold in the 400m hurdles. The Tir Chonaill AC athlete and University of Limerick student won in 51.93 seconds. A storming run saw Dewhirst - who won his heat easily in 54.90 - finish well ahead of Ruaidhri Boyle from UCC, who finished in 56.17.

Rosses AC’s Eoin Sharkey, also competing for UL, was third in 57.23 and Sharkey was fourth in the 110m hurdles final in 18.81 seconds. 

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Adrienne Gallen, in the colours of DCU, took silver in the women’s hammer, throwing out to 51.61m.

Oisin Toye, a Finn Valley AC athlete and student at ATU Donegal, was fourth in the 1500m, going 4:03.61. Toye had been third in his semi-final in 4:00.59.

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Dean Leeper, also of Finn Valley AC and ATU, was sixth in the javelin final, going to 43.57m.

Also competing in Loughborough were Tir Chonaill AC duo Lucy McGlynn, who was third in the ‘A’ 400m hurdles in 60.59 seconds, and Emily Kelly who finished second in the ‘B’ 400m hurdles in 63.10.