Kelly McGrory lowers Donegal record in season opener

Kelly McGrory set a new Donegal 400m record in Belfast on Saturday.

The Tir Chonaill AC athlete lowered the mark when running at the Belfast Irish Milers Meet.

At the Mary Peters Track, McGrory clocked 54.21 seconds. McGrory finished fifth in the women’s 400m thanks to her new personal best over the distance.

Tipperary woman Sharlene Mawdsley won in 51.75 seconds with Seren Bundy-Davis, Phil Healy and Roisin Harrison completing the top four.

The time represents an encouraging outdoor season opener for McGrory with the Laghey woman having been recently included in the Irish 4x400m squad.

Last July, McGrory first broke the Donegal 400m record when claiming Christine Lynch’s mark that stood for 39 years. Then, at the Morton Games, McGrory went 54.68 seconds, to erase Lynch’s 55.72 seconds from the top of the record book.

In the women’s 3000m, Nakita Burke was the silver medalist. Burke finished second in 9:28:27, beaten only by Cheryl Nolan, who won in 9:25:81. In the same race, Eimear McCarroll of Finn Valley AC was 16th, finishing in 10:24:76.

Letterkenny AC athletes Ryan Canning and Eoin Kelly both dipped under 50 seconds for the first time in the men’s 400m.

Canning finished second in a 400m, clocking 49.48 seconds with Kelly third in 49.81 seconds. That race was won by Adam Courtney in 49.24 seconds.

The Belfast Irish Milers Meet is a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event and represented a useful outing for Donegal athletes.

Dermot Brennan of Finn Valley AC won a 1500m race in 4:15, while Finn Valley AC’s Janine Boyle finished fourth in the women’s 200m. Boyle crossed the line in 25.14 seconds with the race won by Phil Healy in 23.70.

Finn O’Neill of Lifford-Strabane AC was fifth in a men’s 400m, finishing in 50.02 seconds while Cranford AC’s Oisin Kelly was eighth in a men’s 800m in 1:53:11.

Letterkenny AC man Darragh Naughton was fifth in one of the 1000m boys events, finishing in 2:45:00 with Ciaran McCarroll of Finn Valley AC fourth in an 800m in 2:04:00.