Robert McDonnell of Galway City Harriers lit up Dangan at the Galway County Track and Field Championships with a tremendous 400m performance.
His time of 46.17 puts him into the top 10 of the all-time Irish performance list over the one lap distance. The talented 20-year-old from GCH is going from strength to strength this season and is now targeting European qualification.
There were impressive wins also for Raekwon Luciano of Castlegar in the men’s 100m and Laura Besano who won gold in the women's event. Sinead Treacy of Craughwell won the 400m, while guest Liam Harris of Togher AC won an exciting men’s 1500m, ahead of first the Galway athlete Jack Miskella of Craughwell AC.
Ellen Moran of GCH led from the gun to take women's 1500m gold in 4.46, and in the field events, Aoibheann Farrell of Loughrea and Ben Sheahan of GCH jumped farthest in long jump, while Liam Shaw, Thomas Farragher and Ella Rafferty were among the medals in the throws.
This evening (Thursday ) is day two of the programme starting at 7pm in Dangan. Events include the 200m, 800m, women's 3k and men’s 5km, as well as discus, weight throw, high jump and triple jump.
Irish Schools Athletics
Galway athletes won silverware at the prestigious Irish Schools' Track and Field Championships in Tullamore on Saturday with multiple medals coming west.
Top billing goes to Evan Hallinan of Pres Athenry/Craughwell AC, Liam Shaw, also of Presentation Athenry, India Cunniffe of Presentation Tuam, Matthew Newell of Colaiste Baile Chlair, and Amy Rose Kelly of Gort CS, all individual champions, and Merlin College boys and Mercy Tuam girls' relay teams, both of which struck gold on a superb day.
Rising star Hallinan jumped a huge 1.95 metres to win senior boys' high jump and added a silver in the triple jump. Talented thrower Liam Shaw won the intermediate shot put gold and also bronze in the discus.
India Cunniffe was the winner of the junior girls' 1200m walk, while Matthew Newell of Claregalway College followed suit in the junior boys walk in a championship record of 4.53, while Amy Rose Kelly of Gort CS won the intermediate girls' gold in the 300m hurdles.
The Merlin College squad of Mathieu Madden, Christian Lomboto, Nick Ukagu, Leon Ukaga, Emmanuel, and Tyrese, under coach Sean McDermott, was hugely impressive in claiming the 4x100m intermediate relay crown, while the Mercy Tuam squad of Aoibheann Costello, Alix Joyce, Abby Mahon and Nicole Quirke won the senior women's gold in another great team performance.
Silver medals went to Angela Cielecka of GCH over 100m and she also won long jump bronze at minor level, Declan O'Connell of Clarin College in the junior boys 1500m, with a cracking 4.19 clocking. In the walks, Savanagh O'Callaghan won silver in the 1200m junior event, as did Sinead Maher in the intermediate girls 2k walk for Gort CS.
Danielle Moynihan of HRC Mountbellew claimed junior girls' high jump silver, and there were bronze medal wins for Stephen Mannion of Seamount Kinvara in the senior boys 400m, Jade Moorhead of Presentation Athenry in the high jump, Lauren Kilduff of Gort CS in the junior girls long jump with a massive five metre jump, and Alix Joyce of Mercy Tuam won senior girls 400m hurdles bronze.
Molly Smith of SC Carraroe also won a great 1500m bronze in the intermediate girls' race, and Oisin Phelan of HRC Mountbellew won bronze in the intermediate boys' hurdles over 400m.
Galway 5 K series: The final leg of the EY (Ernst and Young ) Galway 5km Series, coordinated by Brendan Monaghan, was held in Clarenbridge on Tuesday around the Kilcornan loop, hosted by Galway City Harriers. First over the line was Paul Keane for GCH in 17.21 ahead of Ed Maher in second and Adrian Duignan in third.
Anna McGinley of NUI Galway AC stormed home to an impressive win in the women's event in 19.15, ahead of Yvonne Fehily and Therese Byrne in second and third respectively.
Road Race results: Shauna Bocquet of Craughwell AC won the women's mini marathon wheelchair section with a record time of 28.57, in Dublin last weekend, while Catherine Thornton of Galway City Harriers continued her superb season placing second in the Cork City Half Marathon in a personal best time of 1 hour 20 minutes, behind winner Courtney McGuire of Clonmel AC.,Connacht Track and Field Championships.
Fixtures: The Connacht Juvenile Track and Field, and Adult Track and Field championships take place this weekend, Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12, at the AIT Outdoor track in Athlone. The U9 to U11 paired events take place on Saturday, with senior and masters' adult competition on the Sunday programme.
