WEEKEND ROUND UP MARCH 28th and 29th

Lukas Janosik (City of Derry Spartans), Cara Casey (Foyle Valley AC) and Roger McMullan (North Down AC) all claimed individual Golds at the AAI Juvenile Indoor Championships. Lukas had a convincing win in the U13 boys 600m, running 1.33.88 and setting a new championship record in the process. Cara was equally impressive and dominated her U15 800m race, taking gold in 2.10.74 while Roger secured victory in the long Jump with a leap of 6.51m, finishing more that 20cm clear of the rest of the competitors.

There was a silver medal for Isabella O’Dowd (Lagan Valley AC) in the U17 girl’s high jump, clearing 1.61m. In the U17 boys events, Nathan Coyle (Enniskillen Runners) clocked 53.02 in the 400m to earn silver while Loughlan Bulling (Strabane Lifford AC) jumped 5.98m to also take silver in the long jump. There was further silver success for Loughlan’s club-mate Joseph Ike, who cleared 1.73m in the U17 boy’s high jump. The final two silvers of the weekend came courtesy of Luke Callaghan (Orangegrove AC) in the U19 boys 60m and Lucy Markham (City of Lisburn AC) in the U19 girl’s triple jump.

 Bronze medals were won by Grace Evans (Mid Ulster AC) in the U18 girls 400m and Joshua Ligget (North Down AC) in the U19 boys 60m hurdles.

At the European Masters Indoor Championships in Toruń, there was further success for our athletes. John Craig (Annadale Striders) produced an outstanding championship, winning gold in the M40 5km road race before adding a bronze medal in the M40 3000m.

There was also gold for David Clarke of North Belfast Harriers, who claimed the European title in the M65 3000m with another impressive display. These championships in Toruń attracted almost 3,500 athletes from 52 countries, making the achievements of both men all the more impressive.

Out on the roads at the SPAR Omagh Half Marathon on Sunday, athletes were met by strong winds and heavy showers as they tackled the event. Despite the difficult conditions, Stephen McAuley (Letterkenny AC) produced an excellent run to win the men’s race in 66:56. He led home his club-mate Michael Fox, with James Speight of Dromore AC taking third.

The women’s race was won in equally impressive fashion by Ann Marie McGlynn (Strabane AC), who crossed the line in 74:08. Maria McGee (Rosses AC) finished second, while Dearbhla Cox of Annadale Striders completed the podium in third.

Meanwhile, the outdoor track season is already under way in the United States. Hannah Irwin (Cambridge & Coleridge AC) opened her season with an 11th-place finish in the women’s 10,000m at the Sound 10000m in Los Angeles, clocking 32:49.61 in one of the world’s leading early-season distance meetings. There was also a strong start to the season for Cara Laverty (Finn Valley AC), who ran 4:20.64 in the 1500m at the Raleigh Relays in North Carolina.