Caoimhe Gallen doubles up as Donegal athletes win nine golds

Nine more gold medals - two of them in the hands of Caoimhe Gallen - are coming back to Donegal from the 123.ie National Juvenile Track and Field Championships.

In desperate conditions at Tullamore on Saturday, on day two of the Championships, Gallen firmly led the charge.

The Lifford-Strabane AC woman won the under-17 shot put and hammer golds - and they were Donegal 1-2s in each.

In the hammer, Gallen threw a best of 55.12m with her Lifford-Strabane AC colleague Muireann McBride leaving with the silver. McBride got out to a best of 46.51m.

Gallen threw out to 12.39m to win the shot put. In that event, Ava Anderson of Tir Chonaill AC won the silver, recording a best effort of 11.46m.

Caolan McFadden jogs Cranford AC memories with fine win in Tullamore

There were gold medals for Cranford AC, Lifford-Strabane AC, Finn Valley AC, Rosses AC and Olympian YAC on day one of the National Juvenile Track and Field Championships

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ellie McCurdy continued her excellent form to win the under-19 javelin. McCurdy won with a 37.86m throw.

Also impressive of late has been Finn Valley AC sprinter Hannah Murray. In the under-19 400m, Murray took gold with a 56.68 second run.

Recent Finn Valley AC recruit Liam McCay was an impressive gold medallist in the under-19 3,000m. McCay finished in 8:39.97 in a downpour that pelted the County Offaly venue.

Rosses AC’s Eva Logue cleared the bar at an excellent 1.58m to earn the under-15 high jump gold.

Eva Logue and Faela Houston of Rosses AC. Photo: Sportsfile

Letterkenny AC’s Katie Elliottt also topped a high jump podium, getting over at 1.50m for the under-16 gold.

There was gold, too, for Lifford-AC woman Cabrini Pyne in the under-14 javelin. Launching the spear to 33.49m, Pyne left with the gold.

Letterkenny AC’s Brendan Ndambira donned spikes for the first time at this level and crossed the line in 9.76 seconds to win gold in the under-14 80m sprint.

Brendan Ndambira atop the podium.

In the under-17 3,000m, Philip McGee from Letterkenny AC sealed a first national track and field medal with a silver, crossing the line in 9:02.26.

Elsa Moore of Lifford AC won silver in the under-18 race over the same distance, finishing in 10:03.56.

Alannah Anderson was a double medallist, the Tir Chonaill woman going out to 10.79 for the under-16 shot put silver before being pipped by Elliott in the high jump and having to settle for a bronze.

Olympian YAC’s Sophie Parlour has been a regular medallist lately and was the under-19 silver medal winner. Parlour finished in 12.29 seconds, beaten only by Cushinstown AC’s Laura Bolster, who won in 12.19 seconds.

Philip McGee embraces his coach Denis Shields after winning a silver medal.

Elsa Moore from Lifford-AC ran 10:03.56 for silver in the under-18 3,000m while Niamh Doogan of Rosses AC jumped out to 4.90m for bronze in the under-14 long jump.

There was a Donegal silver and bronze in the under-14 high jump with Clodagh Gallagher (Letterkenny AC) second and Aoibhinn McElhinney (Finn Valley AC) third, while Anya Duffy of Letterkenny AC bagged bronze in the under-15 pole vault, going over at 2.30m.

Some others were close without cigar.

Jacob McHugh (Tir Chonaill) was fourth in the under-14 discus, while there were fifth-placed finishes for Orla Neely of Cranford in the under-19 discus, Letterkenny AC’s Leah O’Gara in the under-15 2,000m walk and Tir Chonaill AC man Matthew Leslie in the under-14 80m.