Caolan McFadden jogs Cranford AC memories with fine win in Tullamore

Caolan McFadden rolled the memories of Cranford Athletics Club on Saturday when winning the national under-17 800m gold.

At the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships, McFadden again showed his class.

The Creeslough native won in Tullamore in a solid 1:56.98 to take gold from Nenagh’s Daire O’Donnell (1:57.38) and Midleton athlete Odhran O’Sullivan (1:58.34).

In the under-16 800m race 47 years ago in 1976, another man with close ties to Cranford AC - the current Athletics Ireland President, John Cronin - won gold in 2:00.70 while running under the Glenree banner.

Kathryn McDevitt breaks new ground in Grangemouth

At the Scottish Masters on Saturday, the Letterkenny AC woman set new Championship bests to win the 400m and 200m

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ashleigh McArdle continues to be an athlete worth watching.

McArdle won the under-18 girls javelin when reaching out to 37.78m - a new person best. McArdle followed up by taking a bronze in the 100m hurdles, crossing the line in 15.02 seconds.

Rosses AC’s Michael Logue took gold in the under-14 boys hammer throw, reaching out to 30.98m to beat Aodhan Doyle from Fr Murphy’s AC, who had a best of 30.57m.

Ashleigh McArdle of Lifford-Strabane AC on top of the podium.

Finn Valley AC’s Blaine Lynch won the Under-19 javelin, going back to winning ways thanks to a 57.70m throw. Lynch was well out in front of Leevale’s Andrew Scanlon, who claimed silver with a 55.93m effort.

Olympian YAC’s Aoife McGeehan left with two medals. McGeehan won the under-15 girls javelin, throwing out to 38.31 and bagged the discus bronze with a 31.76m throw.

The under-15 discus silver medallist was Inishowen AC’s Abigail McBriar, who went to a best of 37.42m. McBriar ended fourth in the javelin when throwing to 34.58m.

Tir Chonaill AC’s Ethan Dewhirst claimed the under-17 boys 100m hurdles silver, crossing the line in 13.82 seconds and beaten only by a championship best performance, in the form of Stuart Tobin’s 13.51 seconds, giving the Nenagh man gold.

Michael Logue from Rosses AC after winning gold.

A 31.88m best saw Luke Ward of Lifford-Strabane AC take silver in the under-18 boys discus while Amber Gallagher of Rosses earned the under-19 girls shot put silver with a 10.14m throw.

Oisin Gillespie from Rosses AC was the under-15 boys long jump bronze medallist when jumping out to 5.81m with Letterkenny AC’s Harry McIlwaine fifth in the same event.

Letterpenny AC’s Emma Bonar surged for bronze in the under-16 girls 800m, finishing in 2:14.60 and Alex Anderson of Tir Chonaill AC left with the under-19 boys shot put bronze thanks to a 10.95m launch.

Jacob McHugh of Tir Chonaill AC and Michael Logue from Rosses AC were fourth and fifth in the under-14 boys shot put.

Eoin Boyle of Tir Chonaill was a narrow fourth in the under-18 boys high jump, Elmer McCarroll from Finn Valley AC ended fourth in the under-19 800m while Lifford-Strabane AC pair Cora Burns and Una O’Donnell were fourth and fifth in the under-19 girls hammer.

The final weekend of the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships will take place back in Tullamore on July 22 and 23.