Weekend Round Up 18th and 19th April
20 April 2026
Dewhirst Brothers (Tir Chonaill AC)
The outdoor season got underway in style over the weekend, with athletes from across the region competing on multiple fronts at home and abroad. From the Irish University Championships in Cork, to road racing in Scotland, track action in England, and mountain running in Portugal, there were standout performances across all disciplines.
Medals were secured on the track and in the field, personal bests were set in high-quality competition, and strong international showings rounded off a busy and encouraging start to the season.
The weekend marked the first championships of the outdoor season, as the Irish University Outdoor Track & Field Championships were held at MTU Cork.
Roise Roberts (CNDR) claimed the first medal of the weekend, winning the women’s 5000m. Blustery conditions turned the race into a tactical affair, but Roberts produced a powerful final 400 metres to secure victory by over fifteen seconds in 16:56.42.
Fintan Dewhirst (Tir Chonaill AC) delivered a commanding performance in the 400m hurdles, taking gold in 51.93 and finishing more than five seconds clear of the field.
Tara McDonough (North Down AC) continued her impressive run of form, finishing third in the women’s 3000m with a personal best of 9:49.89.
The remaining medals came in the field events. Jamie Paul (Ballymena and Antrim AC) won the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 3.90m, while Abbie O’Neill (COLAC) secured second place in the women’s pole vault with 2.90m, narrowly missing out on gold on countback. Charlie Lawden (North Down AC) finished third in the men’s javelin with a throw of 56.63m, and Harry Jackson (North Down) took third in the men’s triple jump with 12.41m.
Ethan John Dewhirst (Tir Chonaill AC) rounded off a superb weekend for the Dewhirst family, finishing second in the 400m hurdles at the Loughborough Open. His performance saw him clock a personal best of 50.81, a time that also dips under the qualifying standard for the World Junior Championships, set to take place in Oregon this August.
On the roads, Emily Haggard Kearney (North Belfast) extended her winning streak with victory at the Fast and Flat 6 5k in Scotland. She crossed the line in an impressive winning time of 16:17.
On Sunday, in the mountains of Portugal, Jared Martin (Ballydrain Harriers) and Zak Hanna (Newcastle AC) were in action at the Sao Bras Cross, the opening round of the Mountain Running World Cup.
Martin finished 23rd in 49:45, with Hanna close behind in 25th in 50:10.