FOSTER, MCMULLEN & REID STAR AT IRISH LIFE AAI SENIOR INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

19 February 2018

FOSTER, MCMULLEN & REID STAR AT IRISH LIFE AAI SENIOR INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Amy Foster (City of Lisburn AC / David Reid), Adam McMullen (Crusaders AC / Alan Kennedy) and Leon Reid (Menapians AC / James Hillier) starred as Northern Ireland and Ulster athletes produced outstanding performances en-route to an impressive medal haul at the Irish Life AAI National Senior Indoor Championships this weekend (Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th February 2018).

Amy Foster set a new Irish 60m indoor record and NI indoor best as she stormed to victory.  Recording an excellent 7.27 (1st place), a new personal best, this was another IAAF World Indoor Championships standard for the City of Lisburn AC sprinter. Just two weeks ago, Amy equalled Anna Boyle’s long standing Irish National 60m indoor record with a 7.30 clocking at the Lee Valley Stadium in England.

In the field, Adam McMullen smashed his Long Jump PB when he leaped a massive 7.99m (1st place) to secure gold in a Northern Ireland indoor best.  The in-form Crusaders AC man was a mere 1cm away from the Irish record as he moved closer to that famous eight metre mark.  On a busy weekend for Adam, he also jumped 7.75m to take 2nd place at the British Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

Leon Reid was in exceptional form as he claimed double gold, winning both the 60m and 200m.  In the 60m, the Birchfield Harriers man clocked an NI indoor best of 6.72 (1st place) for the win, while in the 200m, he ran 21.36 (1st place) to finish just ahead of fellow NI man Craig Newell (Ballymena & Antrim AC / Ian Neely); Craig broke the beam in 21.64 for 2nd place.

Rising star Ellen McCartney equalled her own Irish Under 20 Pole Vault record with an excellent 3.72m (1st place) effort which saw her top the Abbotstown podium.

There were also National titles for Emma Mitchell (QUB AC / Eamonn Christie), Sommer Lecky (Finn Valley AC / Niall Wilkinson), Shane Martin (Ballymena & Antrim AC / James Alexander), Andrew Mellon (Crusaders AC / Brendan McConville) and Mark English (UCD AC / Steve Magness) at the National Indoor Arena (Abbotstown).

Andrew Mellon topped the 400m podium with an excellent 47.32 for victory – Crusaders AC team mate and fellow NI athlete Jason Harvey (Paul McKee) joined Andrew on the podium after running 49.04 for 3rd place.

QUB AC’s Emma Mitchell continued her excellent recent for with a dominant performance in the 1500m.  After leading the NI ladies home at the Armagh International 3k on Thursday night, Emma struck gold over 1500m, crossing the line in 4:16.53 (1st place).  City of Lisburn AC’s Kelly Neely was also in top form, securing a silver medal with a brilliant 4:20.63 finish for 2nd place.

Donegal man Mark English claimed the 800m title in 1:53.53 (1st place).  Talented High Jumper Sommer Lecky again showed her class, claiming the gold medal with a 1.84m clearance for 1st place.  Emerging athlete Shane Martin finished as Joint 1st place in the Pole Vault, after clearing 4.30m alongside Matthew Callinan-Keenan from St L O’Toole AC.

The local medal haul went beyond gold, with a number of familiar faces picking up podium places and the associated silverware.  QUB AC’s Lydia Mills (Alan Kennedy) climbed the podium twice, with a silver medal performance in the Triple Jump (2nd place – 11.17m) and a bronze medal in the Long Jump (3rd place – 5.62m).

Ben Reynolds (North Down AC / Tom Reynolds), Kerry O’Flaherty (Newcastle AC / Richard Rodgers), Mark Burton (QUB AC / Kenny Faulkner) and John Kelly (Finn Valley AC / John Kelly Snr) all claimed silver medals.  In the 60m hurdles, Ben clocked 7.88 (2nd place), while in the 3,000m event, Kerry ran 9:20.01 (2nd place) for the runners up spot.  Competing in the Triple Jump, Mark hit 14.25m for 2nd place. 

The ever-impressive John Kelly launched an NI best of 17.53m to claim the National silver in the Shot Putt. Tir Chonaill AC’s Geraldine Stewart was also in action in the Shot Putt, were she landed a 12.68m throw for 3rd place in the ladies competition.  Multi-Event star Kate O’Connor (St Gerard’s AC Dundalk / Gough, Kerr, McMullen, O’Connor, Reynolds) ran 25.16 for 3rd place in the 200m.

Full results from the Irish Life AAI National Indoor Track & Field Championships are available HERE.