Erin Friel further adds to record collection on way to 400m gold

Erin Friel returned up the N15 from the National Juvenile Indoor Championships with a new record collection to rival any vinyl enthusiast.

Friel was in tune as she stormed to the National U18 400m gold on Sunday at the TUS Arena in Athlone, the Letterkenny AC woman adding to the 200m gold nugget she pocketed on Saturday.

The 17-year-old won on Sunday in 54.42 seconds - shaving over a second off the Championship record. Friel lowered the Championship best, the 55.54 clocked by Beechmount Harriers runner Davica Patterson in 2017.

That time also went in as new Irish U18 and Donegal senior records, bringing down her own 54.75 seconds set at the Irish U20 Championships at the start of March.

The Loreto Secondary School student roared to 400m glory on Sunday, with Alannah Giles from Dundrum South Dublin (57.90) and Foyle Valley’s Clara Casey (58.40) each left in her slipstream.

The gun was still smoking when it became clear that Friel had the needle set right and she surged away to a win that maintains her impressive recent sequence.

On Saturday, Friel won the 200m in 24.24 seconds - inside the 24.30 qualifying standard for the 2025 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival (EYOF). 

That 200m time from the weekend - seeing off Angela Cielecka (West Coast) who was second in 24.87 and Maeve Purtill of Dooneen AC who took bronze in 25.50 - also pulled back the Donegal indoor 200m record from Arlene Crossan, who went 24.44 in early March.

Friel ran in the European U18s in Slovakia last summer and has both the 200m and 400m standard for the EYOF in Skopje.

Her’s has been a spring of stirring numbers. Consider that in winning the U17 400m a year ago, she crossed the line in 57.85 seconds - a time that has been lowered by almost three and a half seconds in the intervening 12 months.

As of now, indeed, she is sixth fastest in the list of Irish athletes who have competed over 400m indoors this year so far.

Ethan Dewhirst of Tir Chonaill AC also bagged his second gold when winning the U19 400m on Sunday. Dewhirst won in 48.67 seconds - a new PB - speeding clear of Andrew Hayes from Dundrum South Dublin, who was second in 49.43.

The previous day, Dewhirst sealed the U19 200m title in 22 seconds. Ronan Ryan from Nenagh Olympic was on his tail in 22.05 seconds while Shane McDonald (Kilcoole) took third in 22.42, but Dewhirst was first over the line.

Ethan Dewhirst

Caolan McFadden from Cranford AC also added a second gold of the weekend to his name. Having bagged the U19 800m on Saturday, the Creeslough native added the 1500m title on Sunday.

McFadden won in 3:45.45, clear of Ace AC's Shea O'Donnell, who took silver in 3:55.76.

Harry McIlwaine was a fine winner of the U17 60m. The Letterkenny AC sprinter won in 7.11 seconds, inching ahead of Chucks Onyeka from Belgooly AC, the silver medalist in 7.18 and Ratoath’s Christopher Olatunde, who finished in 7.20.

Rosses AC’s Oisin Gillespie left with silver in the U17 high jump.

Gillespie was one of four athletes to clear a best height of 1.78m. Countback was needed and Arron Whelan from Dunboyle took gold with Gillespie bagging silver and Lagan Valley’s Jude Glover presented with bronze. Patrick Pucek from Clongriffin AC was the unfortunate fourth.

Olympian YAC’s Mouhcine Fathom crossed the line in 4:05.53 for silver in the U17 1500m, a race won by Donore Harriers’ Charlie O’Neill in 3:57.67. Fathom got in ahead of Luke Walsh of South Galway, who was third in 4:06.26.

A day after winning the U19 60m hurdles, Amy Timoney of Finn Valley AC earned a bronze in the 60m sprint. Timoney’s 7.85 seconds was third fastest behind  Elena O’Sullivan from Leevale (7.61) and Tullamore Harriers’ Alisha Maher (7.64).

Clara Mullen of Lifford-Strabane AC was the U19 triple jump bronze medallist, leaping out to a best of 10.28m.

Read next: In pictures: Finn Valley AC honour Mark English and Arlene Crossan

There were fourth-place finishes for Finn Valley AC’s Odhran McBrearty (U18 1500m), Joseph Ike of Lifford-Strabane AC (U16 high jump), Briana Doherty from Olympian YAC (U15 60m), LAC’s Adam McAuley (U15 high jump) and Leah O’Gara (U17 1500m walk).