Records tumble as Donegal athletes shine at National Masters Championships

New records and a truck load of medals were pocketed by Donegal athletes at the National Masters Championships in Tullamore on Sunday.

Across the age groups and disciplines, Donegal athletes were firmly in the medals.

Tom McKelvey set a new Irish M50 record in the long jump. The Tir Chonaill AC athlete jumped out to a best of 5.60m. The previous mark of 5.57m was set by Aidan Gillespie of Rosses AC.

McKelvey also took the gold nugget in the triple jump, 10.42m representing his furthest footprint in the sand.

Gold and an age group record too for Sinead McConnell of Finn Valley AC who won the W55 3000m race walk. McConnell, who is headed for the World Masters Championships later this month in Gothenburg, won in 15:54.22.

Her sister Catriona Devine also toasted gold, clocking 5:05.28 to win the W50 1500m.

Family ties were also toasted for the O'Donnells from Olympian YAC.

Martin O'Donnell won the M50 gold in the 100m in 12.47 seconds and went 25.94 seconds to win in the 200m. He also added a javelin bronze to the collection thanks to a 24.81m throw.

His sister Karen O'Donnell took silver in the W40 400m in 1:05.10 and added bronze in the 200m race with younger sister Michelle O'Donnell grabbing silver from the W40 javelin throw, reaching out to a best mark of 23.07m.

Lifford-Strabane AC's Damian Crawford won three gold medals, victorious in the M55 discus, throwing to a best of 35.29m, and was the gold medallist in the javelin (43.55m) and the shot (11.27m)

Noreen Bonner from Finn Valley AC was a double gold winner. Bonner won the W65 800m in 3:20.60 and was back atop the podium after winning the 1500m in 6:55.77

Helen McCready of Rosses AC also won a double, taking the honours in the W35 1500m and 3000m, clocking 4:56.64 in the former and 1:15.32 in the latter.

Milford's Rosemarie Gallagher was victorious in the W60 discus, throwing to 14.98m, with gold following in the shot thanks to a 5.68m effort. Gallagher added silver in the javelin with a 10.09m throw.

Kevin Duffy of Rosses AC won gold in the M35 javelin, throwing to 30.46m and a 9.64m throw earned him bronze in the shot.

Rosses AC's Aidan Gillespie goes over the hurdles.

The ever-green Martin Kerr of Milford AC won the M70 5000m in 21:50.23 and took bronze in the 1500m, finishing in 6:14.18.

Bosco Reid won the M60 shot put when reaching out to 11.07m and he threw to 34.78m for silver in the M60 hammer.

Rosses AC's Aidan Gillespie won the M50 100m hurdles, finishing in 15.37 seconds while Martin Cunningham from Tir Chonaill AC took gold in the M45 1500m, running 4:22.11.

There was a silver and a bronze for Kay Bryne from Finn Valley AC. Byrne earned silver in the W60 3000m in 12:09.86 with bronze in the 1500m won in 5:53.24. Her club-mate Leoni Cooke was the W35m silver medallist in 10:39.87.

Shane Toolan of Tir Chonaill ran 13.57 seconds – a new personal best - for silver in the M65 100m and he was also the 200m silver medal winner, running 28.81 seconds.

Liam Bradley from Inishowen AC bagged silver in the M50 5000m, going around in 17:23.16.

Lifford AC's Mark Doherty took bronze in the M55 weight for distance, getting out to 6.62m. Doherty was also fourth in the M55 discus (29.21m) and javelin (28m)

Finn Valley AC's Jacqueline Doherty won bronze in the W50 weight for distance, throwing to 4.34m, and also in the hammer with a 18.09m throw, while she was fourth in the shot with a 5.56m best.

There were also bronze medals for: Claire O'Donnell of Rosses in the W40 3000m; Sinead Peoples from Letterkenny AC in the W40 1500m; Tir Chonaill AC's John J Cannon in the M65 800m; Gerard Doherty of Finn Valley in the M50 shot; Gerard Gallagher of Finn Valley AC in the M35 5000m.