Gold for Sommer Lecky as Adrienne Gallen sets massive Donegal record

Sommer Lecky retained the Irish high jump crown while Adrienne Gallen hit a significant new Donegal hammer record for bronze at the National Senior Championships at Morton Stadium.

In all, there were six medals - one gold, three silver and two bronze - for Donegal athletes on day one of the Senior Championships in Santry, but there’ll be no repeat success for Mark English this weekend with the Finn Valley AC man not going under starter’s orders, having been entered in both the 800m and 400m events.

Finn Valley AC’s Lecky soared over the bar at 1.80m to take high jump gold.

The Castlederg woman, a former World Under-20 silver and Commonwealth Youth Games gold medal winner, enjoyed a fine battle for honours in testing conditions.

Lecky got over first time at 1.65m, 1.70m and 1.75m before clearing 1.80m on her second attempt.

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Deana Kelly (St Abban’s), Philippa Rogan (Sli Cualann) and Ava Rockford all cleared 1.75m.

Rogan had one last attempt at snatching Lecky’s prize, but knocked the bar at 1.83m.

The 23-year-old Lecky has hit back strongly from an injury and recently cleared 1.80m in Nantes and 1.81m in Geneva.

“I’m really happy with the result,” Lecky said. “We high jumpers always want more, but we always end up with a failure.

“You can never be too grateful to get another national medal. Conditions were a bit windy, but we handled it well and there was a great competition.

“To bounce off other athletes, that is why we push to these heights.”

Gallen of Lifford-Strabane AC set a massive new county record to land bronze in the hammer - improving her personal best by two and a half metres.

Gallen hit a new Donegal mark of 56.05m to get a place on the podium, having been just 0.22m from a medal last year.

UCD AC’s Nicola Tuthill bagged gold when throwing an excellent 67.67m with Margaret Hayden taking silver with a 61.63m throw.

Adrienne Gallen in action at Morton Stadium in Santry. Photo: Sportsfile

Gallen’s previous best was 53.59m and she broke the Donegal record three times over the course of Saturday afternoon. Gallen went out to 55.95m in her first attempt and upgraded that to 55.98m on her next go before breaking the 56m barrier in her fifth round throw.

Finn Valley AC duo James Kelly and Gavin McLaughlin took silver and bronze in the shot put, where Irish record holder Eric Favors threw a new Championship best of 19.91m to take gold.

Kelly’s 16.79 throw, on his second visit to the circle, sealed silver while McLaughlin went out to 16.04m for bronze. Kelly said: “It was better than my last performances. Training is going okay and I am average 16 or 17m in training.”

In the men’s triple jump, Dundealgan AC’s Michael Alajiki came from third to first on his last go, taking gold with a 14.74m leap.

Alajiki knocked Tir Chonaill AC’s Conall Mahon out of the gold position with Mahon’s 14.69m seeing him leave with silver.

For the second year in succession, Joseph Gillespie of Finn Valley AC was an agonising fourth, going out to 14.12m.

Janine Boyle inched her way to her first National Senior medal. The Finn Valley AC sprinter came down the home straight in determined fashion in the 200m final to take bronze.

Boyle finished in 25.21 seconds, edged for silver by Laura Nally of Galway City Harriers. Moyne AC’s Katie Bergin took gold in 24.60 seconds.

Rising Irish sprint sensation Rhasidat Adeleke withdrew from the Championships on Friday night, blowing the 200m wide open.

The Tallaght AC woman pulled out on medical advice having recently joined the professional ranks. Adeleke has made her Diamond League debut last week in Monaco and is gearing for next month’s World Championships in Budapest.

Boyle was certainly among those to profit from Adeleke’s absence, booking a spot in the final when finishing second in her heat in 25.61 seconds.

Tir Chonaill AC’s Kelly McGrory booked her place in Sunday’s 400m hurdles final. The defending champion, McGrory won her heat in 60.38 seconds. Clonliffe Harriers’ Jessica Tappin won the first 400m hurdles heat in 58.80 seconds.

Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ashleigh McArdle was fifth in the women’s shot put with a 10.76m best, while Cormac O’Donnell was sixth in the men’s hammer. throwing a best of 47.17m

Cranford AC’s Oisin Kelly missed out on a place in the 800m final. Kelly was third in his heat, crossing the line in 1:55.70, with the top two from each heat advancing.

Eimear McCarroll of Finn Valley finished eighth in her 1500m heat, going 4:45.15 and missing out on the final by just one place, while Arlene Crossan, also of Finn Valley, was fifth in a 400m heat in 56.99 seconds.

Letterkenny AC pair Eoin Kelly and Ryan Canning ran the 400m heats, but did not advance to the final, Kelly going 49.45 seconds and Canning 51.38 seconds.