Caolan McFadden set for World Indoor Tour gold meet in Boston

Caolan McFadden will compete in a world level race in Boston next month.

The Cranford AC man will take part in the New Balance Grand Prix Elite Junior Boys International Mile.

The race, on February 4, at the Track at New Balance in Boston, is a part of the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, which is a World Indoor Tour gold meeting - one of only seven on the planet.

McFadden will compete against the best high schoolers from the United States, Canada, Netherlands and Great Britain.

“I am delighted, it's a massive boost for me,” McFadden told Donegal Live.

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“I'll get on the track over the next two weeks and get ready for this.

“This will be the biggest race and event I'll have competed in. The experience will be the main thing from this for me.

“The standard in the race will be brilliant, I'm sure. I've just got to work hard for it and give it a go.”

McFadden received an invite to compete in Boston via Pierce O'Callaghan, the Head of Competition Management at World Athletics.

Having won national golds on the track, over 800m and 1500m, McFadden won the Irish under-16 cross country title on home turf at Rosapenna.

A resident of Creeslough, he dedicated that memorable win to the ten victims of the Creeslough explosion.

He said: “That was extra special. It was my first time to win a national cross country and doing it at home just meant the world for me. It was the biggest and best of all.”

The Loreto, Milford student will compete over a mile for the first time in Boston.

He said: “That extra 110m mightn't seem like much,but it can be a big difference coming to the closing stages.

“I haven't got any mile times to mark myself against – my furthest track distance until now is the 1500m - but I'm really looking forward to this.”

Last weekend, McFadden was on the Ireland Under-17 team for the UK Cross Country Challenge in Scotland, where he finished as the 26th under-17 and 36th under-20.

“I took a stitch after 2km,” McFadden said. “I felt a little disappointed at the end, but the stitch affected me.

“I took a week off at Christmas and it was nice to get that to get the body ready to go again. I'm counting down the days for Boston now.”

McFadden is indebted to his coaches at Cranford AC: Eamon Giles, Rose Gavaghan, Claire Neely, Dympna Gallagher and Ernie McElhinney.

McFadden is one of four Irish athletes who will compete with Sean Cronin (Clonliffe Harriers), Clodagh Gill (Moy Valley) and Jennifer O'Leary (Nenagh Olympic) also set to make the trip.