THERE was Donegal success last weekend at the Ulster Under-14-17 Track and Field Championship at the Mary Peter’s Track in Belfast.
Ulster was the only province to hold a championship this year and there were some memorable tales.
Lifford-Strabane AC sisters Adrienne and Caoimhe Gallen won SEVEN gold medals.
There were many other success stories, including that of Riona Doherty of Finn Valley AC, who claimed a treble haul of gold medals.
Lifford-Strabane AC left with 14 gold, 10 silver and eight bronze, including a whopping seven medals between the Gallen sisters.
Adrienne Gallen took a magnificent four gold medals, completing dominating the throws events in her age category winning the hammer (56.04m), the discus (31.39m), the shot (11.21m) and the javelin (27.11m) – an outstanding individual achievement.
Her sister Caoimhe Gallen won three gold in the under-14 hammer, shot and discus.
They are the daughters of former Donegal athletics star Sharon Foley, a regular competitor in the Irish vest.
Lifford-Strabane AC’s Ashleigh McArdle won gold in the high Jump (1.45m), the shot (11.54m) and the 250m hurdles (37.24 seconds).
Ellie McCurdy (under-16 javelin), Cora Burns (under-16 hammer) and Patrick Sweeney (under-16 hammer) also won gold while Finn O’Neill took a pair of silvers in the under-16 100m and 800m. O’Neill also won bronze in the high jump.
Una O’Donnell claimed under-16 hammer and discus silver medals as well as a bronze in the shot.
Murireann McBride won silver in the under-14 hammer and Emer McFadden claimed silver in the under-14 javelin with Hannah Whyte taking silver in the under-16 javelin and bronze in the shot. There were bronze medals for Chloe Costello and Emily Neeson in the under-14 long jump and under-16 hammer.
Cranford AC star Oisin Kelly won gold in the under-17 800m and the long jump.
Oisin’s 6.13m winning long jump was a new personal best, while he led from gun to tape to claim the 800m crown.
Blathnaid Gallagher took silver in the javelin, reaching out to over 18m, Clodagh Neely won bronze in the under-15 javelin, while Aoife Giles won three silver medals, in the under-17 discus, shot and hammer and Teresa Mullan won silver in the under-16 long jump.
Cranford AC Athletes Orla Neely,Aoife Giles Clodagh Neely Oisin Kelly Blathnaid Gallagher Miah Fletcher and Jessica Cullen
Tir Chonaill AC claimed an excellent 34 medals.
Daire McDevitt left with a trio of medals: gold in the long jump and triple jump and bronze in the 250m hurdles.
Lucy McGlynn won gold in the under-17 high jump (1.50m) and 300m hurdles (47.82 seconds), while Luke Ward has three golds, in the U15 discus (24.79m), javelin (25.11m) and hammer (24.96m).
Niamh Moohan won the under-17 300m hurdles and claimed a silver in the 100m hurdles.
Recent recruit Michaela Galvin won silver medals in the under-17 100m (13.57 seconds), long jump (4.62m) and triple jump (10.39m).
The likes of Tori Murchin (under-16 high jump), Ava Anderson (under-14 high jump), Ben Campbell (under-17 300m hurdles), Rachael Gallagher (under-17 hurdles) and Shay O”Halloran (under-15 long jump).
Shay O’Halloran
Letterkenny AC’s Fern Duffy won the under-14 200m, while there was a bronze medal for Sophia Ward in the under-14 250m hurdles and Ryan Bradley took a bronze in the under-14 80m sprint.
Mark Galvin just missed a medal in the javelin, as did Patrick McDaid in the under-17 800m.
Olympian YAC’s Sophie Parlour won three gold medals.
Parlour won the Under-16 girls 80m hurdles. In only her second time competing in the event, Parlour powered home in 12.47 seconds, shaving 0.5 seconds off her previous best.
Parlour also won the 100m as she came home in 12.58 seconds.
In the 200m, Parlour was almost a full second ahead of her nearest rival as she left with a third gold medal in 26.18 seconds.
Sophie Parlour
