'A special night': Letterkenny AC coach and protégés combine for relay win

Letterkenny AC won the inaugural NI & Ulster 4x400m Mixed Relay Championship on Wednesday night in Belfast.

The LAC quartet won at the Mary Peters Track on a night when the British Milers Club hosted a UKA Level 2 permitted meet in Belfast for the first time in over a decade.

The British Milers club events were supported by several invitational track and field events organised by Athletics NI.

The Letterkenny AC relay squad of Ryan Canning, Kathryn McDevitt, Fern Duffy and Eoin Kelly won in 3:46.41.

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Lagan Valley made a surge back, but Kelly’s last leg help secure the win. The Lagan foursome finished in 3:50.54 with Annandale Striders third in 3:52.01.

The LAC victory was made extra special with the fact that second leg runner McDevitt coaches the other three of the team, including Duffy who was winning a first senior medal.

McDevitt was a double gold medal winner at the 2022 World Masters Athletics Championship and a bronze medalist at this year’s World Masters Indoor Championships.

“I am so proud,” McDevitt told Donegal Live. “I’m delighted to race with these guys I coach. It was a very special night and we’re very proud to win the inaugural NI & Ulster 4x400m Mixed Relay Championship.”

Summer Lecky continued her good return to form by winning the high jump. Lecky, the former World U20 silver and Commonwealth Youth gold medallist, went over the bar at 1.75m.

The Finn Valley AC woman will take encouragement from recent showings ahead of next weekend’s National Senior Championships in Santry.

In one of the British Milers Club events on the night, Letterkenny AC’s Donal Farren won a men’s 3000m in 8:39.51. Farren was impressive as he edged out City of Derry’s Sean Melarkey by three seconds.

In the invitational track and field women’s 400m, Finn Valley AC’s rising sprinter Hannah Murray recorded a new outdoor personal best of 56.33 seconds to finish second. Murray was beaten only by Lucan Harriers’ Kate O’Connell, who clocked 55.93 seconds.

Finn Valley AC's Hannah Murray on the podium in Belfast.

In the same race, Tir Chonaill AC woman Lucy McGlynn was sixth in 58.28 seconds.

In the women’s 100m, Janine Boyle from Finn Valley AC was second in 12.23 seconds, behind City of Lisburn’s Lauren Roy, who won in 11.68 seconds.

Letterkenny AC’s Erin Friel went 12.81 seconds for sixth with Amy Timoney of Finn Valley AC seventh in 12.88 seconds.

Lifford AC’s Adrienne Gallen and Una O’Donnell were first and third in the 4kg hammer. Gallen reached out to 50m with O’Donnell throwing to 34.06m.

There was a double for the Gallen household as Caoimhe won the 3kg hammer event, throwing a best of 51.56m.

Gareth Crawford, also of Lifford-Strabane AC, won the javelin when launching to 63.31m.

Finn Valley AC’s Riona Doherty came third in the long jump, her feet landing in the sand at 5.31m, in an event won by Lisburn’s Erin Fisher, who went out to 5.50m.

Letterkenny AC duo Eoin Kelly and Ryan Canning were fourth and fifth in the 400m, while Letterkenny AC’s Katie Elliott and Eva Logue from Rosses AC were joint fourth in the high jump.

In other BMC Milers races, Cranford AC’s Oisin Kelly was second in an 800m ‘B’ race in 1:53.34 with Oisin O Gailin from Finn Valley sixth in the same race, clocking 1:54.94, while Cara Laverty of Finn Valley was eighth in an 800, finishing in 2:12.16.