Sean McGinley takes out 37-year-old record to make European standard

Sean McGinley booked his ticket to the European Under-23 Championships when he wiped out a 37-year-old record at the Irish Universities Championships on Saturday.

The Glenswilly man and Finn Valley AC athlete won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase at the IUAA Outdoor Championships.

At Dundrum South Dublin’s new track, DCU student McGinley took gold in 8:46.90.

The new Championship record eclipsed the 8:58.70 clocked by Enda Fitzpatrick of UCD way back in 1986.

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McGinley hit the necessary European standard and he can now begin to plan for the European Under-23s which take place in Espoo, Finland in mid-July. His time is also a new Donegal record, lowering the 8:58.20 of Finn Valley AC’s Joe Byrne in Indiana in 2005.

McGinley won from Queens’ Adam Kirk-Smith, who finished in 9:14.38 and Liam Harris from UCC, who crossed the line in 9:55.43.

McGinley’s win helped DCU to retain their team title, amassing 169 points as against University of Limerick’s 111 point.

Lifford-Strabane AC athlete Brendan O’Donnell was also representing DCU and he won the hammer throw.

O’Donnell threw out to a best of 51.69m, winning well from Robert Higgins of Maynooth University, who reached 45.87m.

O’Donnell also finished eighth in the men’s weight for distance when throwing 7.15m.

Another Donegal athlete who took maximum points for DCU was Tir Chonaill AC’s Siobhan Doherty.

Doherty won the 1500m walk, taking gold in 7:45.02 to see off her college-mate Eva Delahunt, who finished in 8:18.22.

DCU student and Finn Valley AC athlete Amy Greene was the silver medalist in the 3,000m steeplechase. Greene finished in 11:13.18, beaten only by UCD’s Roisin O’Reilly, who won in 11:05.60.

There was a fine silver, too, for Letterkenny AC’s Ryan Canning, who smashed his personal best in the 400m hurdles.

Canning, a student at University of Ulster, finished in 54.84 seconds to take second spot.

Tir Chonaill AC’s Eoin Sharkey, representing University of Limerick, was fourth in the same race in 55.53 seconds while Sharkey teamed up with Jack Hickey, Alex Ryan and Sean McCarthy for a third-place finish in the 4x100m relay, the quartet finishing in 44.37 seconds.